Gold price slumps as expectations for early Fed's rate cuts wane

• Gold price is expected to close the week with smaller gains as the Fed’s early rate-cut hopes ease.
• The US Dollar aims to recover further as the Fed sees rate cuts sometime in the second half of this year.
• Fed policymakers need more confidence before beginning to cut interest rates.

Gold price (XAU/USD) is off from weekly highs around $2,035 in Friday’s London session due to easing hopes of early rate cuts by the Federal Reserve (Fed). The precious metal has come under pressure as Fed policymakers are less convinced over inflation declining to the 2% target, which has improved the appeal of the US Dollar. 

Fed policymakers are interested in holding interest rates in the range of 5.25%-5.50% for some more time to assess whether January’s sticky inflation data was a speedy bump or a pithole. The Fed seems not in a hurry to jump quickly on rate cuts as it could prompt upside risks to stubborn consumer price inflation. 

The opportunity cost of holding non-yielding assets, such as Gold, increases when the Fed leans toward keeping interest rates higher for an extended period. Going forward, action in the safe-haven assets will be guided by market expectations for Fed rate cuts. 

Daily Digest Market Movers: Gold price falls while US Dollar resumes upside journey

• Gold price drops to $2,020 after failing to sustain above the crucial resistance of $2,030 as investors seem convinced that the Federal Reserve will not cut interest rates early.
• As per the CME Fedwatch tool, investors see interest rates remaining unchanged in the range of 5.25%-5.50% in the March and May meetings. Meanwhile, chances of a rate cut in June have come slightly below 50% from previously being around 54%.
• The reasoning behind fading expectations for early rate cuts is Fed policymakers demand for progress in inflation sustainably declining to the 2% for several months and tight labor market conditions.
• On Thursday, Fed Governor Christopher Waller said that the central bank should not rush to bring interest rates down after sticky consumer price inflation data for January.
• Christopher Waller added he wants to see inflation data for at least a couple of more months to judge whether stubborn figures in January were mere short-term fluctuations or progress in inflation easing towards 2% has stalled.
• Waller further added that risks associated with delaying rate cuts are lower than acting on them too quickly.
• Fed Governor Lisa Cook joined Christopher Waller and said she needs more confidence that inflation is converging to 2% before beginning to cut rates.
• In a speech on Thursday, Philadelphia Federal Reserve President Patrick Harker said the next step for the monetary policy is a rate cut, and he is expecting some time in the second half of this year. Harker declined to provide precise timing when the Fed could start easing interest rates.
• Meanwhile, the US Dollar Index (DXY), which gauges the US Dollar’s value against six major currencies, aims to resume its upside journey due to improving labor market conditions and deepening Middle East tensions.
• On Wednesday, the US Department of Labor reported lower jobless claims for the week ending February 16. Individuals claiming jobless benefits for the first time fell to 201K vs. expectations of 218K and the former release of 213K. 
• On the geopolitical front, local authorities in Rafah, a Palestinian city near the southern region of Gaza, have held the Israeli and the US administration responsible for intensified bombarding, which has resulted in an assault on civilians.
• Safe-haven assets like the US Dollar attract more foreign inflows when geopolitical uncertainty deepens.

Technical Analysis: Gold prints two-day low near $2,016

Gold price prints a fresh two-day low below $2,020 as investors need fresh insights on the interest rate outlook. The near-term outlook remains sideways as the precious metal trades in a Symmetrical Triangle chart pattern. 

The yellow metal falls after failing to test the downward-sloping border of the Symmetrical Triangle chart pattern formed on a daily time frame, which is plotted from the December 28 high at $2,088. The upward-sloping border of the aforementioned chart pattern is placed from the December 13 low at $1,973.

The triangle could break out in either direction. However, the odds marginally favor a move in the direction of the trend before the formation of the triangle – in this case up. A decisive break above or below the triangle boundary lines would indicate a breakout is underway. 

The 14-period Relative Strength Index (RSI) oscillates in the 40.00-60.00 region, which indicates indecisiveness among investors.