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Date: 2nd December 2024.


Dollar Strength Ahead of Key Employment Data Pressures Gold!



Trading Leveraged Producys is Risky


*Analysts expect the US Unemployment Rate to rise from 4.1% to 4.2%. The US Dollar Index opens higher on Monday after declining for 5 consecutive days.
*According to experts, there is a 67% chance of a rate cut in December from the Fed. However, the decision depends on the NFP and next week’s inflation rate.
*France’s parliament clash on Prime Minister Michel Barnier’s tweaks to the 2025 budget. Le Pen threatens to support a vote of no confidence. European indices decline.
*Oil prices drop back below $70 per barrel supporting US stocks.


Gold – A Stronger US Dollar Pressures Gold!


The price of Gold sharply fell over 1.00% in the opening hours of the Asian and European session taking the price down to Thursday’s support level. The main reason for the decline is the rise in the price of the US Dollar. The US Dollar Index opened on a 0.30% bullish price gap and rose a further 0.23% thereafter. The price of Gold this week will largely be dependent on the US employment data and its effect on the Federal Fund Rate.





Employment data will be made public throughout the week, marking the final update before the US Federal Reserve’s December meeting. This includes tomorrow’s JOLTS Job Openings, Wednesday’s ADP Employment Change and Friday’s NFP data. Notably, the personal consumption expenditures (PCE) price index rose from 2.1% to 2.3%, with the core index climbing from 2.7% to 2.8%. Strong employment figures could strengthen the case against further monetary policy easing, casting doubt on the likelihood of a 25-basis-point interest rate cut in December.


While most experts currently anticipate this adjustment, they expect regulators to pause early next year to evaluate the potential impacts of trade policy decisions announced by newly elected President Donald Trump’s administration. If the likelihood of a rate cut remains high, the price of Gold is likely to find support. Whereas, strong employment data and a pause will pressure Gold and support the Dollar further.


Due to today’s decline, the price of gold shows a bearish bias as the price falls below the trend-line and the 100-bar Moving Average. However, the current momentum will determine whether the price obtains a short-term signal indicating a correction or decline. If the price increases above $2632.62 a short-term signal indicating a correction is likely to arise. If the price falls below $2,626.45, the signal will indicate the continuation of downward momentum.


EURUSD – The Euro Falls As European Politics Trigger Lower Confidence.


The worst performing currency of the day is the Euro which is declining against all currencies. The Euro index currently trades 0.58% lower mainly due to political tension in France and Germany.





Finance Minister Antoine Armand dismissed Marine Le Pen’s push for artificial budget deadlines, even as the far-right leader signaled readiness to topple the government this week. Le Pen’s party has threatened a no-confidence vote against Prime Minister Barnier. This is due to the PM adjusting the 2025 budget to include inflation-linked pension indexing and other demands.


S&P Global’s Manufacturing PMIs are expected to stay the same in Germany (43.2 points) and the eurozone (45.2 points). Meanwhile, markets are awaiting October’s data on the Eurozone unemployment rate, currently at 6.3%, along with a speech by ECB President Christine Lagarde, who may provide updates on the central bank’s monetary policy plans.


While experts believe the ECB is unlikely to make a sharp policy easing, some board members, including Bank of France Governor François Villeroy de Galhau, have suggested that a 50-basis-point rate cut in December remains a possibility.


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Please note that times displayed based on local time zone and are from time of writing this report.


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Michalis Efthymiou
HFMarkets

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