Gold struggles to build on modest intraday gains as traders await more Fed rate cut cues

Gold (XAU/USD) maintains its bid tone through the first half of the European session on Tuesday, though the fundamental backdrop warrants some caution for bulls and before positioning for additional gains. The growing acceptance that the Federal Reserve (Fed) will resume its rate-cutting cycle in September fails to assist the US Dollar (USD) in capitalizing on the previous day's move up. This, along with a slight deterioration in the global risk sentiment, acts as a tailwind for the safe-haven precious metal.

However, the latest optimism over the potential Russia-Ukraine deal to end the protracted war might hold back traders from placing aggressive bullish bets around the Gold price. Investors might also opt to wait for more cues about the Fed's rate-cut path before confirming the next leg of a directional move for the non-yielding yellow metal. Hence, the focus will remain glued to the release of the FOMC Minutes on Wednesday and Fed Chair Jerome Powell's speech at the Jackson Hole Symposium later this week.

Daily Digest Market Movers: Gold bulls seem non-committed amid Russia-Ukraine peace deal hopes

• Traders trimmed their bets for a jumbo interest rate cut by the Federal Reserve in September following last Thursday's release of a hotter US Producer Price Index, which rose in July at the fastest monthly pace since 2022. Moreover, the preliminary data from the University of Michigan showed on Friday that the one-year inflation expectations climbed to 4.9% from 4.5% and the five-year forecast increased to 3.9% from 3.4%.
• The data indicates a gain of momentum in price pressures and backs the case for a hawkish Fed, which, in turn, is seen acting as a headwind for the non-yielding Gold. Traders, however, are still pricing in a nearly 85% chance that the US central bank will lower borrowing costs in September and deliver at least two 25 basis points rate cuts by the year-end. This keeps a lid on the US Dollar and lends support to the commodity.
• Meanwhile, the S&P Global Ratings agency affirmed the US 'AA+/A-1+' sovereign ratings while maintaining a ‘Stable’ outlook on steady, albeit high, deficits. The agency expects US net general government debt to approach 100% of GDP, given structurally rising nondiscretionary interest and aging-related expenditure. The agency further noted that the outlook indicates fiscal deficit outcomes won't meaningfully improve, but doesn't project persistent deterioration over the next several years.
• On the geopolitical front, Russian President Vladimir Putin has agreed to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for a peace summit. This raises hopes for a breakthrough towards ending the protracted Russia-Ukraine war and might cap any meaningful appreciation for the safe-haven precious metal. Traders might also opt to wait for more cues about the Fed's rate-cut path before placing fresh directional bets.
• Hence, the focus will remain glued to the release of the FOMC meeting Minutes on Wednesday and Fed Chair Jerome Powell's speech at the Jackson Hole Symposium. Apart from this, traders will take cues from flash PMI prints on Thursday, which will be looked to for fresh insight into the global economic health. This, in turn, might infuse some volatility around the XAU/USD pair during the latter part of the week.
• In the meantime, Tuesday's US housing market data – Building Permits and Housing Starts – might do little to influence the precious metal. That said, comments from influential FOMC members would drive the USD demand, which, along with the broader risk sentiment, should contribute to producing short-term trading opportunities around the XAU/USD pair.

Gold is more likely to attract fresh sellers and remain capped near the 200-SMA pivotal hurdle on H4

Slightly negative technical indicators on 4-hour/daily charts warrant some caution for bulls or positioning for any meaningful appreciating move in the near-term. Hence, any subsequent move up is more likely to confront stiff resistance near the 200-period Simple Moving Average (SMA) on the 4-hour chart, currently pegged around the $3,347-3,348 region. This is followed by the overnight swing high, around the $3,358 area, above which the XAU/USD pair could climb to the $3,372-3,374 region. The momentum could extend further and allow the Gold price to reclaim the $3,400 mark before aiming to test the monthly peak, around the $3,408-3,410 area.

On the flip side, the $3,325-3,323 zone, or over a two-week low touched on Monday, could offer immediate support ahead of the $3,310-3,300 region. Acceptance below the said handle could make the XAU/USD pair vulnerable to accelerate the fall towards the $3,283-3,282 horizontal zone before dropping to the late June swing low, around the $3,268 region. The latter represents the lower boundary of a nearly three-month-old trading range, and a convincing break below will be seen as a fresh trigger for bearish traders.