Gold price drifts lower as traders continue to trim bets for an early rate cut by the Fed

• Gold price meets with a fresh supply on Monday and snaps a two-day winning streak.
• Reduced bets that the Fed will cut rates in March act as a headwind for the XAU/USD.
• Retreating US bond yields, softer USD and geopolitical risk could limit any further slide.

Gold price (XAU/USD) struggles to capitalize on its two-day-old recovery trend from over a one-month low and comes under some renewed selling pressure during the Asian session on Monday. The incoming US macro data, including Friday's upbeat consumer sentiment index, suggested that the economy is in good shape. This, along with the recent hawkish comments from a slew of influential Federal Reserve (Fed) policymakers, lowered market expectations of an early rate cut. This, in turn, is seen as a key factor acting as a headwind for the non-yielding yellow metal.

Apart from this, a generally positive tone around the equity markets contributes to a mildly offered tone surrounding the Gold price. That said, a further escalation of geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, along with China's economic woes, might lend some support to the safe-haven XAU/USD. Meanwhile, the flight to safety triggers a modest pullback in the US Treasury bond yields, which keeps the US Dollar (USD) bulls on the defensive. This might further hold back traders from placing aggressive bearish bets around the precious metal and help limit deeper losses.

Daily Digest Market Movers: Gold price is pressured by hawkish Fed expectations, downside seems cushioned

• Reduced bets for an early interest rate cut by the Federal Reserve, along with a generally positive risk tone, prompt fresh selling around the Gold price on the first day of a new week.
• The better-than-expected US macro data released last week, along with the recent comments by Fed officials, force investors to further trim their bets for an early interest rate cut.
• The University of Michigan's preliminary survey showed that the US Consumer Sentiment Index rose from 69.7 in December to 78.8 this month, or the highest level since July 2021.
• According to CME Group's Fed Watch Tool, traders are now pricing in a less than 50% chance of a Fed rate cut move at the March policy meeting, down from over 70% last week.
• Chicago Fed President Austan Goolsbee said on Friday that the central bank needs more inflation data in hand before any decision could be made to cut interest rates.
• Separately, San Francisco Fed President Mary Daly said there is still a lot of work left to do on inflation and it is premature to think that rate cuts are around the corner.
• The US launched an attack on a Houthi anti-ship missile on Sunday, its seventh round of strikes since the Iran-backed rebel group began targeting merchant vessels in the Red Sea.
• There have been at least 140 attacks on US bases since October 17 and seven in the past week, including the heavy military strikes on Ain al-Assad base in Iraq, which injured US and Iraqi soldiers.
• Iran has vowed retaliation for a strike that killed five senior military officials in Damascus yesterday, an attack it blamed on Israel, which has neither confirmed nor denied involvement.
• Israeli forces and Hamas fighters clashed in several places on Sunday, while Israeli planes resumed heavy bombing on Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip.
• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared to rule out the two-state solution to the conflict and said that Israel must retain security control over all the territory west of Jordan.
• The People's Bank of China (PBoC) decided earlier this Monday to leave the one-year and five-year Loan Prime Rate (LPR) unchanged at 3.45% and 4.20%, respectively.

Technical Analysis: Gold price stalls its recovery from over one-month low, remains below $2,040-2,042 supply zone

From a technical perspective, some follow-through below the $2,022-2,020 immediate support will expose the $2,000 psychological mark, or over a one-month low touched last week. The latter should act as a key pivotal point, which if broken decisively could make the Gold price vulnerable. The subsequent downfall has the potential to drag the XAU/USD further towards the $1,988 intermediate support en route to the 100-day Simple Moving Average (SMA), currently around the $1,972 area and the 200-day SMA, near the $1,964-1,963 region.

On the flip side, Friday's swing high, around the $2,040-2,042 supply zone, might continue to act as an immediate strong barrier. A sustained strength beyond could trigger a short-covering rally and lift the XAU/USD towards the $2,077 area. The upward trajectory could extend further and allow bulls to reclaim the $2,100 round-figure mark.