Gold price (XAU/USD) has executed a short-term recovery move in the midst of a persistent downtrend. Gold price printed a fresh monthly low near the psychological support of $2,000 on Wednesday, then bounced. Yet despite the rebound, the precious metal remains on the backfoot as investors continue to worry about when the Federal Reserve (Fed) will start its long-awaited rate-cut cycle. The hopes of an early rate-cut decision from the Fed are easing as the last leg of inflationary pressures in the United States is turning out significantly more stubborn than previously thought, due to robust consumer spending and steady labor market conditions.
Amid an absence of front-line economic indicators, market participants are expected to shift focus towards the first monetary policy meeting of the Fed, which is scheduled for January 31. The Fed is widely anticipated to keep interest rates unchanged in the range of 5.25-5.50%. Investors will keenly focus on how the Fed proposes to make three rate cuts of 25 basis points (bps) each in 2024, as projected in the December monetary policy meeting. Gold price attempts a firm footing near psychological support at $2,000 amid a nominal decline in the US Dollar Index. The near-term demand for the precious metal has turned bearish as it has slipped below the 50-period Exponential Moving Average (EMA), which trades around $2,017. The higher-high-higher-low formation in the Gold price is over and market participants could utilize pullbacks for building fresh shorts. The 14-period Relative Strength Index (RSI) has dropped to near 40.00. If the RSI fails to sustain above 40.00 levels, a bearish momentum will get triggered.