The price of gold (XAU/USD) is attempting to capitalize on its gains during Wednesday’s trading session, touching levels around $2052 before retracting from its highest point in nearly seven months. It seems to me that the key factors undermining the rise of gold as a haven are the modest strength of the U.S. dollar today, attempting to bounce back from its lowest level since August 11. Additionally, a tone of positive risk sentiment prevails in the markets overall.

However, from my perspective, gold prices remain steady, moving in the positive price range for the fifth consecutive day, and appear poised for further gains as expectations lean towards the Federal Reserve concluding interest rate hikes. This anticipation has grown, particularly following the recent less hawkish statements made by several Federal Reserve officials, prompting the market to price in early possibilities of the U.S. central bank starting to ease its monetary policy and reduce interest rates by March 2024. The disappointing U.S. bond auction yesterday led to a decline in yields for the 10-year Treasury to its lowest levels since September, discouraging strong bets on the U.S. dollar’s rise and should continue to support gold’s upward movement, which doesn’t yield returns.

This occurs as the markets await the release of the initial U.S. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) report, just issued, showing an economic growth improvement of 5.2%, significantly higher than market expectations of 4.9%. This is positive for the U.S. dollar and is likely to exert negative pressure on gold prices. I anticipate significant price volatility upon the release of this report, so please trade and manage risks cautiously, especially with short-term trading opportunities on gold available.

Amid the availability of short-term trading opportunities on gold, the focus in the markets will then shift to the release of the U.S. Core Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) Price Index data scheduled for tomorrow, Thursday. I believe this will play a key role in shaping expectations regarding the next move for the Federal Reserve’s policy. This, in turn, will provide new directional momentum for the U.S. dollar and precious metals like gold.

In the past few days, the ceasefire agreement in Gaza has been extended for two days after its original expiration on Tuesday morning. Any further extension or a definitive announcement of a ceasefire is considered a strong negative for the gold price as a haven, especially with ongoing prisoner exchanges between the conflicting parties.

From my perspective, the current gold price levels represent a resistance zone and strong buying saturation. Economic data expectations for the dollar are conflicting, and I do not rule out any surprises, especially considering that Friday’s news expectations are positive for the dollar, which could cause violent price movements in the gold market, either upward or downward.

I believe that the markets this week, especially with the increased risk appetite, will consider any rise in U.S. indices, foreign currencies, or gold to be short-term. The dollar is still trading within a highly significant range between 103.40 and 102.79 points and could bounce back at any time, especially with conflicting data expectations. Therefore, caution and prudence should be exercised amid the current market conditions.