Gold price remains below $2,200, bets for June Fed rate cut favour bulls

• Gold price struggles to capitalize on last week’s blowout rally to a fresh record peak.
• Extremely overbought conditions cap gains for the metal amid a modest USD uptick.
• Bets for a Fed rate cut in June act as a headwind for the USD and should limit losses.

Gold price (XAU/USD) shot to a fresh record high on Friday after the US jobs report showed a spike in the unemployment rate and bolstered expectations that the Federal Reserve (Fed) will start cutting rates in June. The momentum, however, stalled ahead of the $2,200 round-figure mark amid a late US Dollar (USD) bounce from its lowest level since mid-January, which tends to undermine the USD-denominated commodity. The precious metal remains below the said handle and attracts some intraday sellers near the $2,189 region during the Asian session on Monday.

Bullish traders opt to lighten their positions amid extremely overbought conditions on the daily chart and ahead of the release of the latest US consumer inflation figures on Tuesday. The crucial US CPI report will influence market expectations about the Fed's rate-cut path, which, in turn, will drive the USD demand and provide a fresh impetus to the non-yielding yellow metal. In the meantime, bets that the Fed will begin easing its monetary policy soon keep the US Treasury bond yields depressed and should help limit any meaningful corrective decline for the XAU/USD.

Daily Digest Market Movers: Gold price continues to benefit from rising bets for an imminent Fed rate cut move in June

• Data released on Friday revealed that the US unemployment rate rose to its highest level in two years, lifting bets for a June rate cut by the Federal Reserve and pushing the Gold price to a fresh record high.
• The headline NFP showed that the US economy added 275 new jobs in February as compared to the 200K estimated, though the previous month's reading was revised down to 229K from the 353K reported.
• Adding to this, wage inflation, as measured by the change in the Average Hourly Earnings, rose by 4.3% on a yearly basis, also falling short of market expectations and January's growth of 4.4%.
• The possibility of a May interest rate cut by the Fed climbed to around 30% after the crucial jobs report, though the June policy meeting is still the most likely expected timing for any such move.
• The yield on the 10-year US government bond dived to a more than one-month trough, dragging the US Dollar to its lowest level since mid-January and benefitting the non-yielding metal.
• A modest USD uptick prompts some intraday sellers during the Asian session on Monday, albeit firming expectations for an imminent shift in the Fed's policy stance should help limit losses.
• Furthermore, geopolitical tensions, along with expectations that the global economy could weaken in 2024, might continue to drive flows towards the safe-haven XAU/USD and act as a tailwind.
• Investors now look forward to the release of the latest US consumer inflation figures on Tuesday for fresh cues about the Fed's rate-cut path and before positioning for the next leg of a directional move.

Technical Analysis: Gold price needs to consolidate before the next leg up amid extremely overbought RSI on the daily chart

From a technical perspective, last week's breakout through the previous record high, around the $2,144 area, favours bullish traders and supports prospects for additional gains. That said, the Relative Strength Index (RSI) on the daily chart is flashing extremely overbought conditions and makes it prudent to wait for some near-term consolidation or a modest pullback before placing fresh bullish bets.

Any meaningful corrective slide, however, is more likely to find decent support near Friday's swing low, around the $2,154 region, which should now act as a key pivotal point for intraday traders. A convincing break below might prompt some technical selling and drag the Gold price further towards the $2,125 intermediate support en route to the $2,100 round figure. On the flip side, bulls might now wait for a move beyond the $2,200 mark, above which the XAU/USD will enter uncharted territory and build on its recent strong gains registered over the past month or so.