Early in the American session, gold is trading around 2,022.44, below the 21 SMA, and below the 200 EMA. We see slight bearish pressure as XAU tried to break 2,025-2,028 but failed. Therefore, a technical correction is likely to follow in the next few hours.

We expect gold to continue consolidating above 2,015. If you look at the chart above, gold has been bouncing around this area since early January. If the instrument tests this level again, it could be seen as an opportunity to buy.

In case XAU/USD breaks and falls below yesterday's low at 2,009, we could expect a bearish acceleration and the instrument could reach the psychological level of $2,000.

In case gold continues to bounce around 2,015 or 2,010, we could expect a rejection which will be seen as a buying opportunity.

We may see the formation of an uptrend channel. 2,015 converges at the bottom of this channel and could be a key level to resume buying. Gold could reach 2,031 in the coming days and even the top of the uptrend channel around 2,047.