Forecast for Gold Price: XAU/USD fails to surpass $1,930 as USD Index recovers ahead of Fed policy

During the Asian session, the gold price (XAU/USD) failed to reclaim the crucial barrier of $1,930.00, prompting a strong price correction. The precious metal's upward momentum has diminished as the US Dollar Index (DXY) shows signs of recovery after falling to around 101.70. The USD Index is gaining traction as investors become nervous ahead of the Federal Reserve's interest rate announcement (Fed).

As Fed chair Jerome Powell is anticipated to significantly slow the pace of interest rate hikes, the Gold price correction appears to be moderate. In the meantime, S&P500 futures have retraced some of Tuesday's gains as investors anticipate that additional Fed rate hikes will heighten recession fears in the United States. Yields on 10-year US Treasuries have fallen below 3.52 percent.

In addition to the Fed's monetary policy, the ADP Employment data and ISM Manufacturing PMI will be of the utmost importance. According to the consensus, the US economy added 170,000 new jobs in January, down from the previous estimate of 235,000. While it is anticipated that the Manufacturing PMI will decrease to 48.0 from 48.4, which was announced earlier,

For a longer horizon, Reuters reported that the Fed's decision to raise interest rates would limit the price of gold. According to a survey by Reuters, the average price of gold will be $1,852.50 in 2023 and $1,880 in 2024.