Gold price refreshes three-week high on fears of wider Middle East conflict, sliding US bond yields


  • Gold price prolongs its recent uptrend and rallies to a near three-month high on Friday.
  • Geopolitical risks continue to drive haven flows and remain supportive of the move. 
  • Elevated US bond yields and a stronger USD might cap gains amid the overbought RSI.

Gold price (XAU/USD) advances to a three-month top, around the $1,985 area on Friday and remains well supported by the global flight to safety, bolstered by concerns over geopolitical tensions in the Middle East. Apart from this, growing acceptance that the Federal Reserve (Fed) will keep interest rates unchanged for the second straight time in November is seen as another factor that pushes the non-yielding yellow metal higher for the fourth successive day. This also marks the fifth day of a positive move in the previous five and is further supported by retreating US Treasury bond yields. 

In fact, the yield on the benchmark 10-year US government bond pulls back from a fresh 16-year peak touched on Thursday, though remains close to the 5% threshold. This, along with the overbought Relative Strength Index (RSI) on hourly charts, warrants some caution for bullish traders and positioning for any further appreciating move for the US Dollar-denominated commodity. Nevertheless, the metal seems poised to register strong gains for the second straight week as traders now look foward to comments by influential FOMC members for short-term opportunities on the last day of the week.

Daily Digest Market Movers: Gold price scales higher for the fourth successive day

  • Concerns that the Israel-Hamas war could spill over to other Middle Eastern nations and impact the world economy continue to benefit the safe-haven Gold price.
  • Israel pounded the Gaza Strip with airstrikes on Thursday and appeared to be getting closer to a full-scale invasion of the seaside enclave ruled by Hamas.
  • The Israeli military massed troops and equipment near the Gaza border, while the Israeli missiles also struck targets in Lebanon and Syria.
  • Egypt has also been directly affected by the escalation in the conflict, with Israel repeatedly bombing the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and Gaza.
  • Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said that additional interest rate hikes could be warranted in view of economic resiliency and labor market tightness.
  • The benchmark 10-year US Treasury bond yield touches a fresh 16-year high on Thursday and assists the US Dollar in attracting some dip-buying on Friday.
  • Elevated US bond yields, a modest USD strength, along with overbought conditions on hourly charts, might keep a lid on any further gains for the XAU/USD.

Technical Analysis: Gold price extends its steady ascent and now looks to $2,000 mark

From a technical perspective, this week's break above the 200-day SMA and a subsequent move beyond the $1,947-1,948 supply zone favour bullish traders. That said, the Relative Strength Index (RSI) on hourly charts is flashing overbought conditions and makes it prudent to wait for some near-term consolidation before the next leg up. Nevertheless, the Gold price seems poised to surpass the July swing high, around the $1,987 region, and aim to conquer the $2,000 psychological mark for the first time since May.

On the flip side, any meaningful corrective decline now seems to find decent support and attract fresh buyers near the $1,947-1,948 resistance breakpoint. This should help limit the downside near the 200-day SMA, currently pegged around the $1,930 zone. A convincing break below, however, might prompt some technical selling and drag the Gold price to the weekly low, around the $1,908 region en route to the $1,900 round figure. The latter coincides with the 50-day SMA support and should act as a strong base for the XAU/USD.

US Dollar price today

The table below shows the percentage change of US Dollar (USD) against listed major currencies today. US Dollar was the weakest against the Canadian Dollar.

  USD EUR GBP CAD AUD JPY NZD CHF
USD   0.09% 0.01% -0.04% 0.07% 0.01% 0.13% 0.04%
EUR -0.09%   -0.10% -0.13% -0.02% -0.07% 0.03% -0.04%
GBP 0.01% 0.10%   -0.03% 0.08% 0.03% 0.14% 0.07%
CAD 0.03% 0.15% 0.02%   0.14% 0.06% 0.18% 0.10%
AUD -0.08% 0.02% -0.07% -0.11%   -0.04% 0.05% -0.01%
JPY -0.01% 0.07% -0.03% -0.08% 0.06%   0.10% 0.03%
NZD -0.15% -0.05% -0.15% -0.17% -0.07% -0.09%   -0.08%
CHF -0.06% 0.03% -0.07% -0.10% 0.01% -0.03% 0.08%  

The heat map shows percentage changes of major currencies against each other. The base currency is picked from the left column, while the quote currency is picked from the top row. For example, if you pick the Euro from the left column and move along the horizontal line to the Japanese Yen, the percentage change displayed in the box will represent EUR (base)/JPY (quote).

Economic Indicator

United States Fed's Harker speech

Patrick T. Harker took office on July 1, 2015, as the eleventh president and chief executive officer of the Third District Federal Reserve Bank, at Philadelphia. In 2016, he serves as an alternate voting member of the Federal Open Market Committee.

Read more.

Next release: 10/20/2023 13:00:00 GMT

Frequency: Irregular

Source: Federal Reserve

Share: Feed news

Information on these pages contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Markets and instruments profiled on this page are for informational purposes only and should not in any way come across as a recommendation to buy or sell in these assets. You should do your own thorough research before making any investment decisions. FXStreet does not in any way guarantee that this information is free from mistakes, errors, or material misstatements. It also does not guarantee that this information is of a timely nature. Investing in Open Markets involves a great deal of risk, including the loss of all or a portion of your investment, as well as emotional distress. All risks, losses and costs associated with investing, including total loss of principal, are your responsibility. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of FXStreet nor its advertisers. The author will not be held responsible for information that is found at the end of links posted on this page.

If not otherwise explicitly mentioned in the body of the article, at the time of writing, the author has no position in any stock mentioned in this article and no business relationship with any company mentioned. The author has not received compensation for writing this article, other than from FXStreet.

FXStreet and the author do not provide personalized recommendations. The author makes no representations as to the accuracy, completeness, or suitability of this information. FXStreet and the author will not be liable for any errors, omissions or any losses, injuries or damages arising from this information and its display or use. Errors and omissions excepted.

The author and FXStreet are not registered investment advisors and nothing in this article is intended to be investment advice.

Recommended content


Recommended content

Editors’ Picks

EUR/USD recovers toward 1.0850 as risk mood improves

EUR/USD recovers toward 1.0850 as risk mood improves

EUR/USD gains traction and rises toward 1.0850 on Friday. The improvement seen in risk mood makes it difficult for the US Dollar (USD) to preserve its strength and helps the pair erase a portion of its weekly losses. 

EUR/USD News

GBP/USD stabilizes above 1.2700 after downbeat UK Retail Sales-led dip

GBP/USD stabilizes above 1.2700 after downbeat UK Retail Sales-led dip

GBP/USD staged a rebound and stabilized above 1.2700 after dropping to a weekly low below 1.2680 in the early European session in response to the disappointing UK Retail Sales data. The USD struggles to find demand on upbeat risk mood and allows the pair to hold its ground. 

GBP/USD News

Gold rebounds to $2,340 area, stays deep in red for the week

Gold rebounds to $2,340 area, stays deep in red for the week

Gold fell nearly 4% in the previous two trading days and touched its weakest level in two weeks below $2,330 on Thursday. As US Treasury bond yields stabilize on Friday, XAU/USD stages a correction toward $2,340 but remains on track to post large weekly losses.

Gold News

Dogecoin inspiration Kabosu dies, leaving legacy of $22.86 billion market cap meme coin behind

Dogecoin inspiration Kabosu dies, leaving legacy of $22.86 billion market cap meme coin behind

Kabosu, the popular Shiba Inu dog that inspired the logo of the largest meme coin by market capitalization, Dogecoin (DOGE), died early on Friday after losing her fight to leukemia and liver disease.

Read more

Week ahead – US PCE inflation and Eurozone CPI data enter the spotlight

Week ahead – US PCE inflation and Eurozone CPI data enter the spotlight

Dollar traders lock gaze on core PCE index. Eurozone CPIs in focus as June cut looms. Tokyo CPIs may complicate BoJ’s policy plans. Aussie awaits Australian CPIs and Chinese PMIs.

Read more

Forex MAJORS

Cryptocurrencies

Signatures