Gold steadies after 2 day drop in thin lunar new year trading

Market Overview - Gold prices remained stable at approximately $4,880 an ounce after experiencing a decline of over 3% in the previous two sessions due to a strengthening US dollar [1] - A significant rally had previously driven gold to an all-time high of over $5,595 an ounce in late January, but the market corrected sharply to nearly $4,400 within two sessions [2] Price Forecasts - Major banks such as BNP Paribas, Deutsche Bank, and Goldman Sachs predict that gold prices will resume an upward trend, supported by ongoing geopolitical tensions and a shift away from sovereign bonds and currencies [3] - Investors are closely monitoring comments from Federal Reserve officials for insights into US monetary policy, as potential interest rate cuts could benefit non-yielding precious metals like gold [4] Federal Reserve Insights - Fed Governor Michael Barr indicated that interest rates should remain steady until there is more evidence of inflation moving towards the central bank's 2% target [5] - Fed Bank of Chicago President Austan Goolsbee mentioned the possibility of further rate cuts this year if inflation continues to trend towards the target [5] Current Market Data - As of 8:51 a.m. in Singapore, spot gold was priced at $4,880.18 an ounce, while silver decreased by 1% to $72.83 an ounce. Platinum and palladium saw slight increases of 0.9% and 0.5%, respectively [6]