XAU/USD Current price: $3,311.12

• The US April ISM Services PMI came in much better than expected, at 51.6.
• US Treasury Secretary Bessent said trade deals with different nations could be announced this week.
• XAU/USD recovered the $3,300 mark and could extend gains in the upcoming sessions.

Gold turned higher on Monday, recovering the $3,300 mark and posting an intraday high of $3,328.94 early in the American session amid broad US Dollar (USD) weakness. Despite encouraging comments from United States (US) President Donald Trump regarding progress in trade talks with China, financial markets remained cautiously optimistic throughout the first half of the day.

Demand for the USD remained subdued, yet better-than-anticipated data gave the Greenback a near-term impulse after Wall Street’s opening. The April ISM Services Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) beat expectations of 50.4, printing at 51.6 and improving from the 50.8 posted in March.

Meanwhile, comments from US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent also backed the USD. Bessent said we could see “substantial progress” on trade with China in the upcoming weeks while announcing good trade proposals from other trading partners. He also anticipated that some trade deals could be announced as soon as this week.

Finally, it’s worth adding that the US Federal Reserve (Fed) will announce its decision on monetary policy on Wednesday. The central bank is widely anticipated to keep interest rates on hold, with the focus on Chairman Jerome Powell’s words on the near-term future of monetary policy.

XAU/USD short-term technical outlook

The daily chart for the XAU/USD pair shows that bulls hold the grip. After last week’s slide, the pair managed to bounce from around a bullish 20 Simple Moving Average (SMA), providing support at around $3,253.45. The 100 and 200 SMAs maintain their bullish slopes far below the shorter one, aligning with the upward trend. Finally, technical indicators bounced from around their midlines, currently gaining upward traction within positive levels, in line with higher highs for the week.

The near-term picture shows the risk skews to the upside, although the positive momentum receded. In the 4-hour chart, technical indicators have turned flat near their intraday peaks well above their midlines. At the same time, XAU/USD develops above all its moving averages, with the 20 SMA losing its bearish momentum after crossing below a still bullish 100 SMA.

Support levels: 3,290.10 3,273.15 3,258.60/

Resistance levels: 3,329.90 3,352.80 3,370.55

Is Storage Still a Drag or Already Priced In?

Traders are digesting last week’s bearish-leaning EIA storage report, which showed a 107 Bcf injection—nearly double the five-year average. While the headline figure was heavy, it came in slightly below top-end expectations and followed a stretch of mild weather. As a result, much of the bearish sentiment appears priced in. More importantly, regional inventory deficits remain stark, with the East and Midwest hubs showing year-over-year deficits of 21.7% and 24.4%, respectively. These regional shortfalls help explain why prices have found support despite a seasonally soft backdrop.

Will Weather Continue to Cap Upside Potential?

Mild spring temperatures are expected to dominate U.S. weather patterns from May 1–7, with most regions seeing highs between 60°F and 80°F. Cooling demand will be limited to the Southern tier, where some 90s are forecast, while minor heating demand may emerge in parts of the Midwest. Still, the lack of extreme conditions keeps a lid on residential and commercial gas use, muting any aggressive upward price momentum in the short term.

Export Demand and Supply Risks Offering a Floor?

Despite the soft weather narrative, structural demand factors remain firm. LNG feedgas demand rose 1.5% week-over-week to 15.8 Bcf/d, offering a stable export outlet supported by overseas buyers. U.S. electricity generation is also up 2.1% year-over-year, adding to power sector demand. On the supply side, dry gas production remains elevated at 105.6 Bcf/d, but rig counts have only ticked up slightly, reflecting a cautious approach by producers. Geopolitical noise is also growing louder, with proposed U.S. tariffs on Canadian gas imports introducing fresh supply-side uncertainty—particularly for the Northeast.

Short-Term Outlook: Bullish Setup Tempered by Weather Resistance

Goldman Sachs has slashed its oil price forecast for a third time in one month after OPEC+ decided this weekend to hike production in June with a similar 410,000-bpd increase it is implementing in May.

In an online meeting on Saturday, key OPEC+ producers led by Saudi Arabia and Russia agreed to raise collective output by 411,000 barrels per day (bpd), nearly triple the volume originally scheduled.

The move follows a similar surge announced for May and signals a sharp reversal from OPEC+ efforts to defend oil prices.

Following the announcement of another aggressive production hike, Goldman Sachs cut – again – its average oil price forecasts this year and next.

Goldman’s analysts now see Brent Crude prices averaging $60 per barrel this year, down from a previous forecast of $63 a barrel. The average price of the U.S. benchmark, WTI Crude, was now downgraded at Goldman Sachs to $56 for 2025, down from $59 a barrel previously expected.

Next year, Brent is set to average $56 a barrel, down from $58, and WTI is expected at $52, down from $55 per barrel in the previous forecast from mid-April.

The key reason for the downgrade was the OPEC+ group’s decision to return more barrels to the market despite the uncertainties about economies and demand in the tariff wars and spats.

“Saturday’s decision increases our confidence that the new baseline size of production increases is likely 0.41mb/d,” Goldman Sachs’ strategists wrote in a note carried by Investing.com.

“The decision likely reflects relatively low inventories and a broader shift to a more long-run equilibrium focused on supporting internal cohesion and on strategically disciplining U.S. shale supply,” the investment bank’s strategists said.

According to Warren Patterson, Head of Commodities strategy at ING, the more aggressive supply hikes from OPEC+ mean that the oil surplus will be brought forward, leaving the market in surplus throughout 2025.

Weighed down by the prospect of higher-than-expected OPEC+ output and a market surplus, oil prices were down by 2% in Asian trading on Monday, with Brent dipping below the $60 per barrel mark.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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