Forecasts for the price of gold: XAU/USD remains below $1,800 despite worries about the economy and optimism in China

The current difficulty of the yellow metal to find direction increased as China's trade surplus decreased in November as both imports and exports fell during the aforementioned month. The gradual increase in US Treasury yields amid worries of a global economic downturn is on the same track.

It's important to note that numerous eminent business leaders and bank executives have recently expressed concern about a possible worldwide recession. Bloomberg Economics made comments along the same lines.

However, the gold price appears to be supported by China's willingness to announce responsible fiscal and monetary measures as well as indications that the three-year-old Zero-Covid policy may be progressively abandoned.

US stock futures post modest gains amid these plays, but stocks in the Asia-Pacific region trade in a mixed bag. However, during the pre-FOMC blackout, hawkish bets on the Fed's upcoming action were not supported by US inflation predictions.

Ahead of Thursday's China inflation data and Friday's preliminary US Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index readings, gold traders may find some amusement in China's probable risk-positive statements and secondary data.