Gold picks up against a weaker Dollar ahead of central banks’ decisions

LONDON (July 30) Gold (XAU/USD) found buyers after a moderate pullback on Monday. The precious metal has been going through a mild recovery during Tuesday’s Asian session that has continued in the European morning.

News reporting that Israel is willing to avoid an all-out war in the Middle East has eased geopolitical concerns, allowing the safe-haven US Dollar (USD) to trim some gains.

Investors’ focus is now on the Federal Reserve’s (Fed) monetary policy decision, due on Wednesday. The bank will highly likely leave interest rates unchanged, but the attention will be on the ensuing press release by Fed Chair Jerome Powell. With price pressures on a disinflationary trend and the labour market finally showing signs of exhaustion, Powell suggesting that the easing cycle might start before December. That would harm the US Dollar and support precious metals.

Daily digest market movers: Gold picks up within recent range with all eyes on the Fed 

• Gold is regaining some of the ground lost on Monday, favoured by a somewhat brighter market mood as concerns of a full-blown war in the Middle East have eased.
   
• Israeli authorities assured that they want to retaliate Hizbullah, for the rocket attack that killed 12 people on the weekend, but that they want to avoid a regional war in the Middle East. This has calmed market fears.
   
• Later today, the Conference Board is expected to show that the Consumer Sentiment Index deteriorated marginally in July, to a reading of 99.5 from the 100.4 posted in the previous month.
   
• In the same line, US JOLTS Job Openings are seen to have declined to 8.03 million in June from the 8.14 million openings reported in May.
   
• The Fed is releasing its monetary policy decision on Wednesday, and the recent inflation readings have boosted market expectations that the bank might signal the exit of the restrictive cycle.
   
• US 10-year yields are marginally above four-month highs, while the 2-year yield, the most closely related to interest rate expectations, remains depressed at their lowest levels since February.
   
• The CME Group’s Fed Watch tool is pricing a 95% chance that the Fed will keep rates on hold on Wednesday and a 100% chance that rate cuts will start in September.

FXStreet