Gold price flat-lines amid mixed cues, looks to US CPI on Tuesday for fresh impetus

• Gold price struggles to lure buyers amid hawkish Fed expectations and the upbeat market mood.
• The Fed rate cut uncertainty keeps the USD bulls on the defensive and lends support to the metal.
• Traders keenly await the US consumer inflation figures on Tuesday before placing directional bets.

Gold price (XAU/USD) kicks off the new week on a subdued note and oscillates in a narrow trading range, just above the $2,020 level during the Asian session. The recent surge in the US Treasury bond yields, bolstered by the upbeat US macro data and hawkish rhetoric from several Federal Reserve (Fed) officials, along with a generally positive risk tone, act as a headwind for the safe-haven precious metal. The downside, however, remains cushioned in the wake of a softer US Dollar (USD), which tends to benefit the USD-denominated commodity.

Furthermore, traders seem reluctant to place aggressive directional bets in the wake of uncertainty about the likely timing and pace of Fed rate cuts in 2024. Hence, the focus will remain glued to the release of the latest US consumer inflation figures, due on Tuesday. The crucial US CPI report might provide some cues about the Fed's rate-cut path, which, in turn, will drive the USD demand and provide some meaningful impetus to the non-yielding Gold price. Heading into the key data risk, easing concerns about a further escalation of geopolitical tensions in the Middle East might keep a lid on any attempted recovery for the XAU/USD.

Daily Digest Market Movers: Gold price remains depressed amid reduced Fed rate cut bets and positive risk tone

• Growing acceptance that the Federal Reserve will keep interest rates higher for longer in the wake of a still resilient US economy acts as a headwind for the non-yielding Gold price.
• Moreover, the recent hawkish remarks by a slew of influential FOMC members forced investors to scale back their expectations for early and steep interest rate cuts this year.
• Dallas Fed Bank President Lorie Logan said on Friday that there is no urgency to cut rates and that she wants further evidence on inflation to confirm the progress is durable.
• Atlanta Fed President Raphael Bostic noted that inflation has been too high for too long, and there is still a way to go and that the US is on a path to pre-pandemic economic activity.
• The annual revisions published by the Labor Department showed on Friday that US consumer prices increased slightly more than previously reported in October and November.
• The US Dollar, however, struggles to gain any meaningful traction in the wake of the uncertainty about the likely timing and pace of interest rate cuts by the Fed this year.
• Traders also prefer to wait on the sidelines and look to the latest US consumer inflation figures on Tuesday for cues about the Fed's rate-cut path before placing directional bets.
• Relatively thin trading volumes on the back of holidays in Japan and China further contribute to the subdued range-bound price action on the first day of a new week.
• The Israel military said on Monday that it had concluded a series of strikes in southern Gaza, easing fears about broadening the Israel-Palestinian conflict across the Middle East.

Technical Analysis: Gold price needs to break below the $2,000 psychological mark for bears to seize near-term control

From a technical perspective, last week's swing low, around the $2,015 area, is likely to protect the immediate downside ahead of the $2,000 psychological mark. Given that oscillators on the daily chart have again started gaining negative traction, a convincing break below the latter will be seen as a fresh trigger for bearish traders and pave the way for deeper losses. The Gold price might then accelerate the slide towards the 100-day Simple Moving Average (SMA), currently around the $1,988 zone before dropping to the very important 200-day SMA, near the $1,966-1,965 region.

On the flip side, the 50-day SMA, around the $2,033 area, could act as an immediate hurdle ahead of last week's swing high, near the $2,044-2,045 area. This is followed by the $2,065 region, or the monthly peak, which if cleared decisively will negate the near-term negative outlook. The Gold price might then accelerate the positive move towards retesting the YTD peak, near the $2,078-2,079 touched in January. The subsequent move up has the potential to lift the XAU/USD to the $2,100 mark en route to the next relevant hurdle near the $2,120 region.