Gold prices fell below the psychological $3,900 level during the first half of the European trading session on Tuesday, approaching their lowest level since October 2025, which was recorded last week. Expectations of further monetary tightening by the US Federal Reserve (Fed) continued to weigh on the precious metal, offsetting the weakness in the US Dollar ahead of the US midterm elections.
Data released on Monday showed that US manufacturing business activity expanded for the tenth consecutive month in October. The Institute for Supply Management (ISM) Manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) rose to 55.5 from 54.5 in September, exceeding market expectations and reinforcing concerns that the US economy remains resilient.
The stronger-than-expected manufacturing data strengthened expectations that the Fed could maintain a hawkish monetary policy stance for longer, increasing pressure on non-yielding assets such as Gold.
Gold Technical Outlook
The XAU/USD pair maintains a short-term bearish bias, trading below the 100-period Exponential Moving Average (EMA) on the four-hour chart. Furthermore, the overnight rejection near the late-October swing low, followed by renewed selling pressure, reinforces the negative technical outlook despite the slightly positive Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) indicator.
Meanwhile, the Relative Strength Index (RSI) is hovering near 40.0, suggesting that the recent recovery from oversold conditions remains tentative and lacks sufficient bullish momentum.
On the downside, sellers are likely to target Friday's swing low around the $3,870 area. A decisive break below this level could open the door to further losses and extend the prevailing bearish trend.
On the upside, immediate resistance is located at the 100-period EMA near $4,053. A sustained move above this level would be necessary to ease the current selling pressure and create room for a more meaningful recovery.
US Midterm Elections and Iran War
Despite the bearish outlook for Gold, the US Dollar continues to struggle to attract strong buying interest as traders remain cautious ahead of the US midterm elections, which will determine control of Congress.
Prediction markets currently favor Democrats to gain control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate. Conversely, a Republican victory in both chambers would represent a major surprise for financial markets, potentially triggering higher US Treasury yields and strengthening the US Dollar.
Meanwhile, growing hopes for a diplomatic resolution to the US-Iran conflict could further discourage aggressive bullish positioning in the Greenback.
US President Donald Trump said on Monday that Iran wanted to reach an agreement to end the war and that a deal could potentially be achieved. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi also stated that consultations through mediators were progressing intensively.
However, several days of negotiations between Iranian officials and Qatari mediators failed to produce a breakthrough. This came despite Tehran revising its proposal to temporarily reopen the strategically important Strait of Hormuz for two days, subject to Washington meeting a series of conditions.
At the same time, renewed tensions between Russia and Ukraine continue to keep geopolitical risk premiums elevated. This development could provide underlying support for the US Dollar, suggesting that Gold remains vulnerable to further downside pressure.
JOLTS and NFP in Focus
On the economic calendar, traders will monitor the upcoming release of US JOLTS Job Openings data during the North American session for fresh trading signals.
However, the main market focus will remain on Friday's highly anticipated US monthly employment report, particularly the Nonfarm Payrolls (NFP) data.
The employment figures could provide important clues about the strength of the US labor market and influence expectations surrounding the Federal Reserve's next monetary policy decisions.
For Gold traders, the combination of US economic data, interest rate expectations, geopolitical developments, and the outcome of the US midterm elections will remain crucial factors in determining the precious metal's next direction.



