Gold Price Prediction: XAU / USD investors approach a 50% mean reversion zone prior to NFP

After data showed that weekly US jobless claims increased more than anticipated, the price of gold rose on Friday as the dollar weakened. This caused the market to reconsider the Federal Reserve's next move.

At the time of writing, the US Dollar index, DXY, was down 0.13 percent, making the price of Gold less expensive for buyers using other currencies. Ahead of the crucial Nonfarm Payrolls report, the gold price is currently in the $1,830s.

In the meantime, "the number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits increased. "Initial claims increased to 211k in the week to 4 March, while continuing claims increased to 1,718k," ANZ Bank analysts explained.

"This most recent data suggests that the labor market may be beginning to cool, but this data is notoriously volatile, so the market will be on the lookout for additional evidence that labor demand is decreasing. The Challenger Job Cuts data, which shows 77,000 jobs were eliminated in February, is one indicator that US companies are beginning to reduce their workforce, analysts added.

"This is less than the January figure of 109,243, but it is 400% higher than the previous February, and it is the highest number of jobs lost in any February since 2009. The majority of layoffs are in the technology, retail, and financial sectors.