Gold has posted slight gains in the Wednesday session. In North American trade, spot gold is trading at $1271.84, up 0.24% on the day. On the release front, ADP Nonfarm Employment Change rebounded with a reading of 178 thousand, but this was short of the forecast of 187 thousand. Thursday will be busy, as the US releases two key events – unemployment claims and ISM Non-Manufacturing PMI. On Friday, we’ll get a look at Nonfarm Employment Change, which should be treated as a market-mover. The indicator is expected to slow to 181 thousand, compared to 222 thousand a month earlier.
Gold enjoyed a good month of July, as XAU/USD jumped 2.0%. The US dollar has softened, and even a solid Advance GDP last week failed to stem the greenback’s slide. The first GDP report for the second quarter came in at impressive 2.6%, beating the estimate of 2.5%. This strong expansion should put to rest concerns of a second straight quarter of weak growth – Final GDP came in at just 1.4%. Still, EUR/USD soared in July, gaining 3.5%. Investors remain concerned that low inflation in the US could mean that the Fed will balk and not raise interest rates in December, despite all but promising to increase rates three times in 2017. In June, Fed Chair Janet Yellen dismissed low inflation as "transient", but she has since changed her tune, as economists remain at a loss to explain why a red-hot economy has not translated into stronger wage growth, and hence higher inflation. The markets are skeptical about a December hike, with the odds at just 42%, according to the CME Group.
