Gold Prices Stabilize Ahead of Federal Reserve’s Key Decision
GOLD prices (XAU/USD) remain steady around the $1,930 mark during Wednesday’s Asian trading sessions. Investors are holding their positions, awaiting the outcomes of the Federal Reserve’s Interest Rate Decision and the subsequent FOMC Press Conference, both of which could introduce market fluctuations.
Concurrently, the US dollar’s value, when benchmarked against six significant currencies, remains relatively stable near 105.10, recovering from its weekly low at 104.81. The US 10-year Treasury note yield has soared to a 16-year peak at 4.365%. This rise could potentially curtail further devaluations of the US Dollar (USD).
As market participants await the Federal Reserve’s monetary policy announcement concluding its two-day meeting on Wednesday, the consensus largely anticipates the interest rates to stay within the 5.25% to 5.5% bracket. The CME Fedwatch Tool’s data corroborates this, indicating a 99% likelihood of the rates remaining unchanged in its September deliberation. Yet, projections for rate hikes in the upcoming November and December meetings have seen a dip.
Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell’s Press Conference is expected to shed light on the ‘dot plot’ and provide insights into inflation projections. It’s pertinent to highlight that elevated interest rates augment the investment costs in non-yielding assets, signaling a potentially bearish sentiment for precious metals.
In the days to follow, the spotlight will be on the Federal Reserve’s rate announcement at 18:00 GMT on Wednesday, which might dictate the trajectory for gold prices. Additionally, announcements from the Bank of England and the Bank of Japan regarding their respective monetary policies are slated for later in the week.