Gold Price Forecast: XAU/USD maintains rises above $1,900; downside appears bolstered by robust yields

During the Asian session, the gold price (XAU/USD) exhibits a sideways auction profile above the round-level support of $1,900.00. The precious metal is able to maintain a price above $1,900.00. Tom Barkin, president of the Richmond Federal Reserve (Fed) Bank, made hawkish remarks that boosted US Treasury yields. However, the downside appears to be supported by the rising yields.

According to Fed officials, the economy has passed the inflation peak, but we are still far from the Consumer Price Index median (CPI). Therefore, a premature retreat from interest rate hikes is undesirable. 

Meanwhile, market volatility is increasing as risk-perceived assets lose traction. Futures on the S&P 500 have accelerated their losses, indicating that the risk-aversion theme is gaining traction. A drop in market participants' risk appetite has impacted the demand for US government bonds. This has caused 10-year US Treasury yields to rise above 3.54 percent.

In the future, investors will pay close attention to the United States Producer Price Index (PPI) (December) and monthly Retail Sales (December) statistics. According to estimates, the headline PPI (Dec) is anticipated to decline to 6.8%, while the core PPI is anticipated to decline to 5.9%. In addition, monthly Retail Sales statistics may indicate a 0.1% growth as opposed to the 0.6% decrease previously reported. A rise in Retail Sales statistics could increase the likelihood of a rebound in inflation estimates.