• Gold touches a new all-time high above the previous September 26 high. 
• The precious metal is helped by lower interest rate projections globally as inflation ducks. 
• XAU/USD confirms its uptrending bias but risks pull back before extension. 

Gold (XAU/USD) edges up to a new record high on Thursday, a few Dollars above the prior September 26 all-time high of $2,685. A mixture of declining global interest rate expectations and increased safe-haven flows amid heightened tensions in the Middle East are contributing to the rise. 

Gold rallies as central banks prepare to lower interest rates

Gold pushes to new highs as markets price in a lower trajectory for global interest rates. Inflation is falling faster than expected across the world, increasing the probability that major central banks will accelerate their easing cycles. The expectation of lower interest rates is bullish for Gold as it reduces the opportunity cost of holding the non-interest-paying precious metal, making it more attractive to investors. 

Following the release of lower-than-expected inflation data in September in the United Kingdom, the Bank of England (BoE) is now widely expected to decide to lower its bank rate by 25 basis points (bps) (0.25%) from 5.00% to 4.75% at its November meeting. 

Likewise, the Bank of Canada (BoC) is now widely expected to aim for a “bazooka” at its policy rate and shoot off 50 pbs (0.50%) at its next policy meeting in October. 

On Thursday, the European Central Bank (ECB) concludes its policy meeting and is widely expected to execute a 25 bps (0.25%) rate cut after inflation fell below its 2.0% target for the first time since 2021 and economic activity has evinced a marked slowdown. This, and the fact that several Asian central banks have already made cuts recently, is supporting the rally in Gold.   

That said, the upside for Gold may be limited as US Federal Reserve (Fed) officials continue backtracking after being expected to adopt a more aggressive easing approach a few weeks ago.

On Tuesday, Bank of San Francisco Fed President Mary Daly’s speech scored a neutral 5.8 on the FXStreet FedTracker, which uses a custom AI to gauge the tone of Fed officials’ speeches on a dovish-to-hawkish scale from 0 to 10. This was above her long-running average of 4.5. 

Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta President Raphael Bostic, meanwhile, scored a 6.2 on the FedTracker, which was also above his average of 5.1. Bostic opined the “US economy is doing well,” and that he did not see a recession on the horizon. 

Currently, markets are pricing in almost a 94% chance of a 25 bps cut in the fed funds rate in November and a 6% probability of no-change at all, according to the CME FedWatch tool.