Gold Price Forecast: XAU/USD consolidates above $1,660 level amid modest USD strength

Gold struggles to gain any meaningful traction on Thursday and seesaws between tepid gains/minor losses through the first half of the European session. The XAU/USD remains below a nearly two-week high set the previous day and is currently trading around the $1,663-$1,662 area, nearly unchanged for the day.

The US dollar regains some positive traction and stages a goodish rebound from its lowest level since September 20, which, in turn, acts as a headwind for the dollar-denominated gold. Apart from this, a positive tone around the US equity futures further contributes to capping the upside for the safe-haven precious metal.

That said, expectations that the Fed may slow the pace of its policy tightening helps limit the downside for the non-yielding gold. The incoming US macro data pointed to signs of a slowdown in the world's largest economy and forced investors to trim their bets for more aggressive rate hikes by the US central bank.

Traders also prefer to move to the sidelines ahead of Thursday's key event/data risks. The European Central Bank is scheduled to announce its policy decision and is widely expected to hike interest rates by 75 bps. Apart from this, the Advance US Q3 GDP report should infuse some volatility and provide a fresh impetus to gold.

From a technical perspective, the recent recovery from the vicinity of the YTD low stalls near the $1,675 intermediate hurdle. This is followed by the $1,682 supply zone, which if cleared decisively will set the stage for an extension of the recent positive move witnessed over the past week or so, from the vicinity of the YTD low.

Key levels to watch