- Dovish shift in major central banks' policy outlook boosts demand for gold.
- US Dollar Index drops to fresh 2-week lows on Thursday.
- Stock market rally keeps precious metal's gains limited for now.
With major central banks adopting a more cautious tone with regards to the economic outlook and hinting at rate cuts this week, gold became an investor favourite and the troy ounce of the precious metal rose more than $50 since the start of the week to touch its highest level since September 2013 at $1393.27. Following that impressive rally, the XAU/USD pair has gone into a consolidation phase and was last seen trading near $1383, still adding more than $20 on a daily basis.
Earlier this week, European Central Bank President Draghi opened the door for rate cuts while speaking at the bank's event in Portugal. Yesterday, the FOMC dropped the term "patient" from its policy statement with regards to future policy adjustments and gave a reason for markets to believe that a rate cut will happen as early as July. The greenback came under heavy selling pressure and dragged the US Dollar Index to its lowest level in two weeks.
During the Asian session on Thursday, Bank of Japan Governor Kuroda said that it was possible for them to keep the rates at current lows beyond spring of 2020. Finally, the Bank of England today in its policy statement acknowledged that downside risks to growth had increased since the last meeting in May and revised its second-quarter growth expectation down to 0% from 0.2%.
Meanwhile, stock markets capitalized on hopes of central banks injecting additional stimulus into the economy and the S&P 500 Index hit an all-time high, grabbing investors' attention and keeping gold's gains limited for the time being. At the moment, all three major indexes of Wall Street are rising around 1% on a daily basis.
Technical levels to watch for
Information on these pages contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Markets and instruments profiled on this page are for informational purposes only and should not in any way come across as a recommendation to buy or sell in these assets. You should do your own thorough research before making any investment decisions. FXStreet does not in any way guarantee that this information is free from mistakes, errors, or material misstatements. It also does not guarantee that this information is of a timely nature. Investing in Open Markets involves a great deal of risk, including the loss of all or a portion of your investment, as well as emotional distress. All risks, losses and costs associated with investing, including total loss of principal, are your responsibility. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of FXStreet nor its advertisers. The author will not be held responsible for information that is found at the end of links posted on this page.
If not otherwise explicitly mentioned in the body of the article, at the time of writing, the author has no position in any stock mentioned in this article and no business relationship with any company mentioned. The author has not received compensation for writing this article, other than from FXStreet.
FXStreet and the author do not provide personalized recommendations. The author makes no representations as to the accuracy, completeness, or suitability of this information. FXStreet and the author will not be liable for any errors, omissions or any losses, injuries or damages arising from this information and its display or use. Errors and omissions excepted.
The author and FXStreet are not registered investment advisors and nothing in this article is intended to be investment advice.
Recommended content
Editors’ Picks
USD/JPY drops toward 142.00 ahead of BoJ policy decision
USD/JPY has turned south, approaching 142.00 in the Asian session on Friday. Markets turn risk-averse and flock to the safety in the Japanese Yen while the Fed-BoJ policy divergence and hot Japan's CPI data also support the Yen ahead of the BoJ policy verdict.
AUD/USD bears attack 0.6800 amid PBOC's status-quo, cautious mood
AUD/USD attacks 0.6800 in Friday's Asian trading, extending its gradual retreat after the PBOC unexpectedly left mortgage lending rates unchanged in September. A cautious market mood also adds to the weight on the Aussie. Fedspeak eyed.
Gold price treads water below record peak, awaits Fedspeak
Gold price hovers below the all-time peak touched earlier this week amid a bearish US Dollar and rising bets for more upcoming rate cuts by the Fed. Concerns over an economic downturn in China keep the safe-haven Gold price afloat. Fedspeak remains on tap.
Bank of Japan set to keep rates on hold after July’s hike shocked markets
The Bank of Japan is expected to keep its short-term interest rate target between 0.15% and 0.25% on Friday, following the conclusion of its two-day monetary policy review. The decision is set to be announced during the early Asian session.
XRP eyes gains as Ripple gears up for stablecoin launch, Grayscale XRP Trust notes rising NAV
Ripple (XRP) gained 2.3% since the start of the week. The altcoin’s gains are likely powered by key market movers that include Ripple USD (RUSD) stablecoin, Grayscale XRP Trust performance and the demand for the altcoin among institutional investors.
Moneta Markets review 2024: All you need to know
VERIFIED In this review, the FXStreet team provides an independent and thorough analysis based on direct testing and real experiences with Moneta Markets – an excellent broker for novice to intermediate forex traders who want to broaden their knowledge base.