XAU/USD is expected to fall below $1,900 as it loses its safe-haven appeal

Gold prices are aiming for support below $1,900 as the market’s risk-off impulse returns. The precious metal has been trading in a range of $1,890.92-1,911.00 as investors await a new catalyst from the Russia-Ukraine conflict. However, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine appears to be escalating. According to Maxar satellite images, the Russian military perimeter around Kyiv has grown to 40 miles, rather than the 17 miles initially reported. This could rekindle interest in the yellow metal.

Furthermore, the US dollar index (DXY) has been vulnerable as market participants have diverted funds away from the DXY and into riskier assets. The greenback has established a short-term ground near 96.80, reducing the precious metal’s exposure to the greenback. On Tuesday, the Institute for Supply Management (ISM) will release Manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) data, which will fly under the radar. However, the Federal Reserve (Fed) Chair Jerome Powell’s testimony on Wednesday will be the key event to watch out for, along with another round of peace talks between Russia and Ukraine ‘in the coming days.’

The price of gold has risen as demand for safe-haven assets has remained strong. After rising as much as 2.2 percent earlier in the session, spot gold rose 0.6 percent to $1,898.25 per ounce. Gold futures in the United States finished 0.7 percent higher at $1,900.70. Gold, which is frequently used as a safe haven of value during times of political and financial unrest, has risen about 6.5 percent in February, reaching an 18-month high of $1,973.96 last week.

Russia’s ongoing aggression against Ukraine has weighed on risk assets such as US and European equities, as well as bond yields. Investors are grappling with uncertainty, with bank stocks plummeting as a result of tough Western sanctions imposed on Russia as it continued its invasion of Ukraine. The DJI and S&P 500 fell, but the Nasdaq managed to claw its way back to the top.
As the situation in Ukraine continues to dominate global risk sentiment, US bond yields have fallen and the yield curve has steepened. The yield on 2-year government bonds fell from 1.57 percent to 1.43 percent, and the yield on 10-year government bonds fell from 1.95 percent to 1.85 percent.