Gold (XAUUSD) trades on the back foot on Friday as bulls struggle to hold early gains amid mixed market sentiment. At the time of writing, XAU/USD is trading around $4,100, down nearly 1.5%, after sliding to $4,032 earlier in the day Relief over the end of the US government shutdown has eased some of Gold’s safe-haven appeal. At the same time, a run of cautious remarks from Federal Reserve (Fed) officials has prompted traders to dial back expectations of a December rate cut. The fading prospect of near-term easing is helping the US Dollar (USD) recover after recent weakness, adding pressure on the non-yielding metal. ... (full story)