Ella 
Gold prices (GOLD/USD) moved higher during the Asian session on Friday and now appear to have ended a nine-month losing streak near $1,813, or the seven-month low hit the previous day. However, any meaningful upward movement still seems elusive, as traders may choose to wait and see ahead of key monthly U.S. employment data later on Friday.
The highly anticipated non-farm payrolls report (NFP) will affect people’s expectations for the Federal Reserve’s (Fed) future interest rate hike path and provide new directional impetus for gold prices. Meanwhile, the prospect of further Fed tightening remains supportive of a rise in U.S. bond yields, which should help the U.S. dollar (USD) halt its two-day corrective slide from year-to-date highs and should limit the Gains in precious metals.
Market participants appear confident that the Fed will stick to its hawkish stance after U.S. macro data remained resilient, in line with expectations for solid growth in the third quarter. Additionally, stronger U.S. jobs data will mean more pressure on wages and inflation, which could force the Fed to keep interest rates higher for longer. This, in turn, would boost the U.S. dollar and drag down gold prices in U.S. dollars.
