FX.co ★ XAU/USD, GOLD

Gold steadied near $4,100 during Asian hours, halting the previous session's slide after touching its weakest level since August 5 earlier in the week. The pause comes as falling US Treasury yields drag the dollar further from its two-month peak, offering a reprieve to an asset that generates no income. Even so, bulls appear hesitant to press their advantage, preferring to sit tight until the week's heavyweight US data clears the air. Today brings the Personal Consumption Expenditures price index, the Fed's inflation gauge of choice, alongside the final second-quarter GDP reading. Thursday's ISM Manufacturing PMI and Friday's Non-Farm Payrolls report follow, and FOMC member commentary will be dissected for any hint about the policy path ahead. OCBC strategists see the market's attention firmly anchored to US economic releases, calling this week's batch the defining event risk. They flagged Bloomberg's consensus for a 90,000 rise in September payrolls, down sharply from August's 162,000, with unemployment expected to hold at 4.1%. The four-week average of jobless claims, they added, remains the timeliest read on labour market health. Their base case still envisions dollar strength followed by eventual retracement, though they cautioned that pricing four additional Fed hikes over the next year looks aggressive unless demand-led inflation returns with force. Overnight, Treasury yields retreated from multi-year highs as crude slumped to a three-week low and New York Fed President Williams suggested there's no urgency to move again. Consumer confidence also disappointed, sliding to 81.9 in September, its softest since 2014, which trimmed some dollar demand and handed gold a modest tailwind. That said, the CME FedWatch tool still shows traders assigning over a 90% probability to another hike before year-end. Add the unresolved US-Iran standoff to the mix, Trump rejected Iran's ceasefire offer and Qatari mediation has stalled, and the safe-haven picture stays murky. Prudence dictates waiting for follow-through before declaring gold has bottomed near $4,100.

Gold trades near $4,175, sitting beneath all four key moving averages, a layout that keeps sellers in the driver's seat despite the recent bounce. On the hourly chart, the 50-period moving average rests at $4,155 while the 200-period average sits at $4,282, placing price roughly $20 above the shorter average but about $107 below the longer one. That thin cushion above $4,155 is the only thing keeping the near-term bias from flipping outright bearish, and losing it would likely accelerate downside pressure. On the four-hour chart, the 50-period average is positioned at $4,277 and the 200-period average at $4,397, leaving price about $102 beneath the shorter average and roughly $222 below the longer one. The standout technical feature is the tight convergence between the hourly 200-period average at $4,282 and the four-hour 50-period average at $4,277, which merge into a reinforced resistance shelf spanning $4,277 to $4,282, the single most important barrier on the chart right now. The first resistance barrier sits at $4,200, a psychologically significant round number that has capped recent rebounds. Above it, the $4,277–$4,282 confluence forms a heavier hurdle, followed by $4,340 and $4,397, the latter aligning with the four-hour 200-period average. Further ceilings sit at $4,450 and $4,500. On the downside, initial support rests at $4,155, coinciding with the hourly 50-period average. A break below would expose $4,100, the recent low and a round number likely to draw buyers, then $4,060, with $4,020 marking a deeper demand area. If gold holds above $4,155 and pushes through $4,200, buyers could target the $4,277–$4,282 confluence and potentially $4,340 beyond it. Should selling pressure intensify and $4,155 give way, a deeper correction toward $4,100 and $4,060 becomes increasingly probable. The broader bias stays bearish while price remains beneath the four-hour averages, but the next move hinges on whether buyers can defend $4,155 and how markets digest this week's PCE, GDP, and payrolls data alongside the Fed's policy signals.