Gold extends its Asian session retracement slide from the vicinity of the all-time peak and touches a fresh daily low, around the $4,331-4,330 region in the last hour. The US Dollar attracts buyers for the third straight day, and turns out to be a key factor that prompts some profit-taking amid still overbought conditions on the daily chart.

A generally positive tone around the equity markets contributes to driving flows away from the safe-haven precious metal.

However, concerns that a prolonged US government shutdown would affect the economy, along with dovish Federal Reserve (Fed) expectations, might keep a lid on any further USD appreciation and lend support to the on-yielding Gold.

Furthermore, persistent trade-related uncertainty and rising geopolitical tensions could help limit deeper losses for the commodity. This, in turn, warrants some caution for the XAU/USD bears and positioning for any meaningful corrective decline.

Gold bulls opt to take some profits off the table amid a firmer USD
The US Dollar attracts some buyers for the third consecutive day and exerts some downward pressure on the Gold price during the Asian session on Tuesday.

Moreover, the global risk sentiment remains well supported by signs of easing US-China trade tensions and turns out to be another factor undermining the safe-haven precious metal.

US President Donald Trump said on Friday that a full-scale tariff on China would be unsustainable. Trump added on Sunday that said that both countries would strike a fantastic deal, though he warned that failure to reach an agreement could see China face potential tariffs of 155%. This keeps focus squarely on US-China trade talks next week.

According to the CME Group's FedWatch Tool, traders have nearly fully priced in a 25-basis-points rate cut at each of the US Federal Reserve's policy meetings in October and in December. This might keep a lid on any meaningful USD appreciating move and continue to act as a tailwind for the non-yielding yellow metal amid economic risks.

Investors seem worried that a prolonged US government closure would affect the economic performance. The Senate voted against reopening the US government for the 11th time on Monday, extending the shutdown to a third week as both sides remain deadlocked. Trump accused the opposition of blocking efforts to curb illegal immigration.

Russian President Vladimir Putin reportedly reiterated his demand that Ukraine give up all of Donetsk Oblast as a condition for ending the war, and suggested that Russia would be willing to surrender parts of occupied southern Ukraine. Adding to this, Trump said on Sunday that the battle lines should be frozen where they currently stand.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, however, has repeatedly rejected the idea of forfeiting the Donbas, or any other occupied ground, to Russia. This keeps geopolitical risks in play, which should further extend some support to the safe-haven precious metal and contribute to limiting any meaningful corrective pullback.

Traders might also opt to wait for the release of the latest US consumer inflation figures on Friday, which might provide some cues about the Fed's rate-cut path. This, in turn, will play a key role in influencing the USD price dynamics and driving the XAU/USD pair ahead of the crucial two-day FOMC policy meeting starting next Tuesday.

Source: Fxstreet