- Gold stabilizes at $2,305, down 0.60% amid positive sentiment, lower US Treasury yields, softer USD.
- Fed holds fed funds rate, tweaks to QT program influence market dynamics.
- Chair Powell urges caution on rate changes pending clearer inflation progress.
Gold price clings to the $2,300 figure in the mid-North American session on Thursday amid an upbeat market sentiment, falling US Treasury yields, and a softer US Dollar. Traders are still digesting Wednesday’s comments of the Federal Reserve’s Chairman, Jerome Powell, and the US central bank’s decision to hold rates unchanged. Meanwhile, data showed the US trade deficit narrowed a tick, and the labor market is still tight.
The XAU/USD trades at $2,305, down by 0.60%. Market participants expected a more hawkish tilt by the Fed, which remained neutral. The central bank delivered a neutral monetary policy statement and announced that it would reduce the pace of its Quantitative Tightening (QT) program.
During his press conference, Fed Chair Jerome Powell said it wouldn’t be appropriate to cut rates until they have confidence that inflation is trending toward its 2% goal, adding that this year’s inflation data “has not given us that greater confidence.” They would decide monetary policy “meeting by meeting,” while adding that slowing the pace of balance sheet runoff “will ensure a smooth transition for money markets.”
He added the Fed’s belief that monetary policy is sufficiently restrictive to curb inflation and disregarded the potential of hiking rates when asked.
On Wednesday, the Federal Reserve opted to maintain the federal funds rate at 5.25%- 5.50%. In their statement, they noted that the risks associated with achieving the Fed’s dual mandate, which focuses on employment and inflation, have become more balanced over the past year. Despite acknowledging progress on inflation, they also recognized that recent data suggest this progress has stalled.
Daily digest market movers: Gold price stays firm amid steady US Dollar, falling US yields
- Gold prices remain underpinned by lower US Treasury yields and a softer US Dollar. The US 10-year Treasury note is yielding 4.579%, down five basis points (bps) from its opening level. The US Dollar Index (DXY), which tracks the Greenback’s performance against six other currencies, edged down 0.23% and is at 105.39.
- The US Trade Balance data revealed a slight narrowing of the deficit by -0.1%, moving from $69.5 billion to $69.4 billion, which fell short of the expected $69.1 billion. This change was due to a -1.6% decrease in imports, which totaled $327 billion, and a -2.0% decline in exports, which dropped to $257.6 billion.
- Additionally, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported that US Initial Jobless Claims for the week ending April 27 remained steady at 208K, unchanged from the previous week and lower than the anticipated 212K.
- On Wednesday, the Fed decided to keep the fed funds rate unchanged at 5.25%-5.50 %. They acknowledged that risks to achieving the Fed’s dual mandate on employment and inflation “moved toward better balance over the past year.” Although they said there’s progress on inflation, recent data showed that it has stalled.
- Fed policymakers added that they would begin reducing their balance sheet holdings of US Treasury securities from $60 billion to $25 billion starting in June.
- On May 3, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is expected to reveal April’s Nonfarm Payrolls figures, which are expected to come at 243K, below March’s 303K. The Unemployment Rate is estimated to stay at 3.8%, while Average Hourly Earnings would likely remain unchanged at 0.3% MoM.
- Data from the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) suggests that traders expect the fed funds rate to finish 2024 at 5.045%, down from 5.100% on Wednesday.
Technical analysis: Gold price drops but stays above $2,300
Gold’s uptrend remains in place, though buyers had failed to push prices past the April 26 high of $2,352, which could open the door to challenging $2,400. Further upside is seen at the April 19 high at $2,417 and the all-time high of $2,431.
Momentum favors XAU/USD’s bulls, according to the Relative Strength Index (RSI). Despite trending lower, the RSI remains above the 50-midline, suggesting that buyers are in control.
On the flip side, a bearish continuation looms if Gold sellers drive prices below $2,300, exacerbating a pullback toward the April 23 daily low of $2,291. Subsequent losses are expected, beneath the March 21 daily high, which turned support at $2,223, followed by $2,200.
Interest rates FAQs
Interest rates are charged by financial institutions on loans to borrowers and are paid as interest to savers and depositors. They are influenced by base lending rates, which are set by central banks in response to changes in the economy. Central banks normally have a mandate to ensure price stability, which in most cases means targeting a core inflation rate of around 2%. If inflation falls below target the central bank may cut base lending rates, with a view to stimulating lending and boosting the economy. If inflation rises substantially above 2% it normally results in the central bank raising base lending rates in an attempt to lower inflation.
Higher interest rates generally help strengthen a country’s currency as they make it a more attractive place for global investors to park their money.
Higher interest rates overall weigh on the price of Gold because they increase the opportunity cost of holding Gold instead of investing in an interest-bearing asset or placing cash in the bank. If interest rates are high that usually pushes up the price of the US Dollar (USD), and since Gold is priced in Dollars, this has the effect of lowering the price of Gold.
The Fed funds rate is the overnight rate at which US banks lend to each other. It is the oft-quoted headline rate set by the Federal Reserve at its FOMC meetings. It is set as a range, for example 4.75%-5.00%, though the upper limit (in that case 5.00%) is the quoted figure. Market expectations for future Fed funds rate are tracked by the CME FedWatch tool, which shapes how many financial markets behave in anticipation of future Federal Reserve monetary policy decisions.
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