• Gold continues its uptrend as the conflict in the Middle East remains unabated. 
• The changing outlook for global interest rates, however, could put a limit on Gold’s upside. 
• XAU/USD trends higher as a multi-time-frame uptrend extends. 

Gold (XAU/USD) continues higher after the briefest of pullbacks to trade once more in the $2,730s on Tuesday. The yellow metal is rallying due to increased safe-haven demand because of the intensifying conflict in the Middle East, although it has slowed its pace as bonds sell off around the world due to a revision of the outlook for global interest rates. 

From previously expecting interest rates to fall sharply, investors now see a gentler slope because unexpectedly strong US data eliminated the chances of another double-dose 50 basis point (bps) (0.50%) mega cut by the Federal Reserve (Fed). This, in turn, reduces Gold’s attractiveness as a non-interest-paying asset. 

Gold rises on safe-haven flows 

Gold rallies as investor demand for safety increases due to the worsening conflict in the Middle East. Despite the eleventh visit to the region by US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken since the start of the conflict, a cease-fire deal seems as elusive as ever.

On Tuesday morning, Hezbollah announced that it had launched rockets at two bases near Tel Aviv and one near Haifa. This followed a series of Israeli airstrikes on southern Lebanon and Beirut. In one Israeli strike near Beirut’s Hariri Hospital, the death toll is said to have risen to 13, according to the Lebanon Ministry of Health, as per Reuters. 

On Monday, Israel stepped up its bombardment of Beirut by destroying several economic targets in an attempt to wipe out the bank that provides Hezbollah with its funding. 

An expected Israeli retaliatory attack on Iran is also back on the table after an Iranian drone penetrated Israeli air defense systems and exploded near Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s private residence over the weekend.