Gold hits $5,260 as war jitters, trade tension rattle markets

A red-hot inflation report in the United States and rising tensions between the latter and Iran pushed Gold price higher on Friday, past the $5,260 figure, posting solid gains of over 1.20%. At the time of writing, XAU/USD trades at $5,261, hitting a one-month high and extending its gains for the seventh consecutive month.

XAU/USD climbs to fresh highs as unresolved US–Iran talks and inflation fears underpin safe-haven buying

Talks between Washington and Tehran ended on Thursday, but failed to show meaningful progress, which could prevent a US strike on Iran. Recently, US President Donald Trump said that he was not happy with the way Iran negotiated, sounding vague about whether there may or may not be a regime change in the country, and added that Tehran forgot to say the golden words, “no nuclear weapon.”

The US Embassy in Jerusalem permitted non-emergency staff and families to leave the country, citing safety risks, according to NBC News. Meanwhile, CNN reported that no intel shows Iran is planning an intercontinental ballistic missile able to hit the US.

Data-wise, the US Producer Price Index in January rose by 2.9% YoY, beneath the previous month’s 3% but exceeded forecasts of 2.6%. Core PPI, which excludes food and energy, increased on an annual basis by 3.6%, up from the previous month’s print and estimates of 3.3% and 3%, respectively.

Although market participants are pricing in nearly 58 basis points of easing, the first rate cut is expected to be delayed until the Fed’s July 29 meeting, with traders implying 29 basis points of easing.

What is on the calendar for the first week of March?

Ahead next week, the US economic docket will feature the ISM Manufacturing and Services PMI, the ADP Employment Change for February, Initial Jobless Claims, Retail Sales and February’s Nonfarm Payrolls data.

XAU/USD Technical outlook: Gold surges as bulls eye $5,300

Despite continuing its advance, Gold price seems poised to consolidate and forget about parabolic upward moves. As XAU/USD clears $5,200, the next area of consolidation lies within the latter and $5,300, with expectations of higher prices.

The Relative Strength Index (RSI) shows that bullish momentum is building, which opens the door to higher prices.

The first resistance is seen at $5,300. A decisive break puts the move towards $5,400 in play, followed by the January 30 high at $5,450. On further strength, $5,500 is up next ahead of the record high near $5,600.

Conversely, if Gold drops, the first support would be the February 24 daily low of $5,093. Once cleared, the next stop would be the 20-day Simple Moving Average (SMA) at $5,019 before testing $5,000.