The Federal Reserve’s favourite inflation indicator is set to be released in the last trading session of the week on Thursday, and all indicators are pointing to this being another crucial data point with regard to whether there is any chance that the Fed’s next move is a cut, or as has been looking more likely over the last couple of months that a hike will be on the cards to combat higher inflationary conditions. Both CPI and PPI data sets released earlier this month came in above expectations and bond markets have been aggressively pricing in higher rates since then, and a higher print from the Core PCE number could be the final nail in the coffin for and Fed doves out there.
The market is expecting the month-on-month number to show a 0.3% increase with the year-on-year data coming in around 3.3% which is still well above the Fed’s 2% target. Anything off these expectations is likely to see big moves in Fed rate expectations and therefore a strong reaction in the dollar, a difference of even as little as 0.1% off expectations could see some substantial moves in the dollar, especially if it is in line with the other inflations measures and comes in higher.
Gold is shaping up nicely from a technical perspective for a big move on these numbers, especially as it has been trading largely in line with the dollar for the past few months defying its usual haven status in times of conflict. It’s sitting close to strong support levels, and a higher print should see if decline sharply with a break trade opening the way for bigger moves south. Conversely a weaker number should lead to some strong USD selling that would take XAUUSD back up into recent ranges.
Resistance 2: $4,773.14 – May High
Resistance 1: $4,625.96 – Trendline Resistance
Support 1: $4,487.12 – Trendline Support
Support 2: $4,388.23 – 200 Day Moving Average
