Gold clings to mild gains ahead of the US PCE inflation reading

Gold trims some losses on Friday but upside attempts remain capped amid broad-based US Dollar strength.
Investors are reluctant to sell US Dollars ahead of the US PCE inflation reading for November.
XAU/USD remains under pressure, limited below $2,605

Gold (XAU/USD) is trading with a moderate positive tone on Friday following the sharp sell-off earlier this week. However, upside attempts remain limited as investors brace for the release of the US Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) Price Index.

On Thursday, an upward revision to the third quarter’s US Gross Domestic Product (GDP), and the lower-than-expected Jobless claims have endorsed the Federal Reserve’s (Fed) hawkish stance for 2025.

This keeps the US Dollar index pinned near two-year highs ahead of the release of the Fed’s favorite inflation gauge. Investors are waiting to see whether the US central bank’s concerns about higher inflation are justified. A strong reading would cast further doubts on the Fed’s easing cycle and increase negative pressure on Gold.

Higher US yields, strong USD keep Gold recovery subdued

XAU/USD is trading higher for the second consecutive day but lacks upside momentum, with traders reluctant to sell the US Dollar ahead of a key inflation report to be published at 13:30 GMT.
US Treasury yields are steady above the 4.50% mark after having rallied 40 basis points over the last two weeks. This acts as a headwind for Gold as it is a non-interest-paying asset.
US PCE inflation is expected to have increased at a steady 0.2% pace in November on month, with the yearly rate accelerating to 2.5% from 2.3% in October.
The core PCE, considered more relevant for monetary policy purposes, is seen easing to 0.2% from 0.3% on month and accelerating to 2.9% on year from 2.8% in October.
Data released on Thursday showed that the US economy grew at a 3.1% annualized pace in the third quarter, significantly improving from the already healthy 2.8% advance previously estimated.
Likewise, weekly Jobless Claims declined to 220K on the week ending December 13 from the previous week’s 242K reading, beating expectations of a slower decline to 230K.

Technical analysis: XAU/USD maintains a negative trend below $2,625

Gold is going through a corrective recovery from heavily oversold levels. The broader trend, however, remains bearish. The pair is struggling to find acceptance above $2,600 and the Relative Strength Index (RSI) in the 4-hour chart remains flat at levels below the 50 threshold, highlighting the bearish momentum.

Immediate resistance is at the $2,605 intra-day high, with the key resistance area to challenge the bearish trend at the $2,625-$2,630 area (November 28, December 2 lows). On the downside, supports are at Wednesday’s low at around $2,580, ahead of November’s trough at $2,540.