Gold holds above $4,100 as traders await FOMC Minutes amid US-Iran tensions

Gold attracts some buyers as the USD bulls turn cautious ahead of the FOMC meeting Minutes.
Renewed US-Iran hostilities could support the safe-haven Greenback amid hawkish Fed expectations.
Reviving inflation fears push US bond yields higher and should cap the non-yielding precious metal.

Haresh Menghani FXStreet

Gold (XAU/USD) struggles to capitalize on modest intraday gains, though it manages to hold above the $4,100 mark through the first half of the European session on Wednesday. The US Dollar (USD) turns lower as bulls opt to lighten their bets ahead of the release of the June FOMC meeting Minutes. This, in turn, is seen acting as a tailwind for the bullion. However, the fundamental backdrop warrants some caution before confirming that the pullback from levels just above the $4,200 mark, or a two-week high set on Monday, has run its course.

The US military launched a new wave of strikes against Iran on Tuesday following reports of attacks on three oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, jeopardizing the already fragile ceasefire. Traders were quick to price in the geopolitical risk premium amid concerns about a further escalation of tensions, which might continue to benefit the Greenback's reserve currency status and cap the Gold price. The US also moved to withdraw a key concession that allowed Iran to sell oil on international markets, triggering a sharp rally in Crude Oil prices on Tuesday. The latest developments revive energy-driven inflationary fears and reaffirm the US Federal Reserve's (Fed) "higher for longer" policy stance.

According to the CME Group's FedWatch Tool, traders are currently pricing in over an 80% chance that the US central bank will deliver at least one 25 basis points (bps) rate hike by the end of this year. Adding to this, expectations of a more hawkish tone in the Fed Minutes push US Treasury bond yields higher. In fact, the yield on the benchmark 10-year US government bond rose to 4.567%, and the policy-sensitive two-year Treasury yield climbed to 4.189% on Wednesday. This, in turn, favors the USD bulls and should contribute to keeping a lid on the non-yielding Gold. Hence, it will be prudent to wait for some follow-through buying before placing fresh bullish bets on the XAU/USD pair.

XAU/USD daily chart

Gold retains bearish bias below 200-SMA, within descending channel

From a technical perspective, the precious metal remains entrenched inside a downward-sloping channel and retains a bearish near-term bias below the 200-day Simple Moving Average (SMA). Meanwhile, the Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) has turned positive, hinting at a short-term recovery attempt. However, the Relative Strength Index (RSI) at 44.33 stays below the midline, reinforcing a still-cautious tone rather than a sustained bullish reversal.

This, in turn, suggests that rallies are likely to face stiff resistance and remain capped by overhead supply near the channel’s upper boundary at $4,164.35, despite improving momentum. A convincing breakout through the said barrier and a subsequent move beyond the 200-day SMA at $4,491.30, which marks a more significant barrier, would be needed to ease the broader bearish pressure.

On the downside, the first meaningful structural support aligns with the channel’s lower boundary around $3,713.85. Buyers may attempt to defend the broader trend floor if the current rebound fails and XAU/USD resumes its slide within the bearish channel.

(The technical analysis of this story was written with the help of an AI tool. Know more.)

Economic Indicator

FOMC Minutes

FOMC stands for The Federal Open Market Committee that organizes 8 meetings in a year and reviews economic and financial conditions, determines the appropriate stance of monetary policy and assesses the risks to its long-run goals of price stability and sustainable economic growth. FOMC Minutes are released by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve and are a clear guide to the future US interest rate policy.

Why it matters to traders?

Minutes of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) is usually published three weeks after the day of the policy decision. Investors look for clues regarding the policy outlook in this publication alongside the vote split. A bullish tone is likely to provide a boost to the greenback while a dovish stance is seen as USD-negative. It needs to be noted that the market reaction to FOMC Minutes could be delayed as news outlets don’t have access to the publication before the release, unlike the FOMC’s Policy Statement.

Author

Haresh Menghani

FXStreet

Haresh Menghani is a detail-oriented professional with 10+ years of extensive experience in analysing the global financial markets.

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