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Gold hit a two-week high of $2,378 on Thursday after the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) announced weaker-than-expected jobs data that kept US Treasury bond yields virtually unchanged, a tailwind for the golden metal. The XAU/USD trades at $2,369, registering a gain of 0.54% after bouncing off weekly lows of $2,320.US jobs data was one of the main drivers of the day after the BLS revealed that the number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits exceeded the consensus and the previous week’s reading. In addition, the European Central Bank (ECB) decided to cut interest rates, which sent US Treasury yields climbing before paring its earlier gains.The US 10-year benchmark is set to print weekly losses yet retreated from a daily high of 4.32% to 4.285% following the ECB’s decision. In the meantime, the US Dollar Index, which measures the Greenback’s performance against a basket of six currencies, dropped 0.12% to 104.14.Following the latest US employment data, traders’ focus shifts to Friday’s May Nonfarm Payrolls report. Estimates suggest the economy will add 185,000 people to the workforce, above April’s 175,000. The Unemployment Rate is expected to be 3.9%, and Average Hourly Earnings are projected to remain unchanged at 3.9%.
Daily digest market movers: Gold price capitalizes on falling US Treasury yields
Technical analysis: Gold price shedges higher above $2,350
Gold extended its rally after consolidating within the $2,320 to $2,360 region, but buyers cracking the top of the range opened the door for further gains. Momentum remains on the buyers’ side as the Relative Strength Index (RSI) remains bullish.On further strength, XAU/USD’s next resistance would be $2,400, followed by the year-to-date high of $2,450. Conversely, if Gold slips below $2,350, the next support would be the 50-day Simple Moving Average (SMA) of $2,337. The next stop would be the May 8 low of $2,303, followed by the May 3 cycle low of $2,277.More By This Author:Silver Price Analysis: XAG/USD Collapses Below $30.00 As Double Top Emerges USD/JPY Price Analysis: Slips Below 157.00 As Bearish Engulfing Pattern Looms GBP/USD Price Analysis: Recovers Above 1.2700 Amid Soft US Dollar