• Gold climbs, reacting to Fed Chair Powell's hawkish comments and mixed US data.
• Tensions in the Middle East escalate, influencing Gold's status as a safe-haven asset.
• Market expectations reduce the likelihood of multiple Fed rate cuts this year.

Gold prices edged higher late in Tuesday’s North American session, gaining 0.22% following a hawkish tilt by Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. Economic data from the United States (US) was mixed, though Monday’s Retail Sales report and Powell’s remarks kept US Treasury yields higher, capping the yellow metal’s advance.

XAU/USD trades at $2,388 after hitting a daily low of $2,363. Risk appetite has deteriorated amid the heightened tensions in the Middle East. Following Iran’s attack on Israel over the weekend, the latter is set to retaliate even though the White House warned that it would not participate.

Given the backdrop, Gold is set to continue advancing, if not because Fed Chair Jerome Powell said that the US economy has performed quite strongly while acknowledging that recent data shows a lack of further progress on inflation.

Following those remarks, traders reduced expectations for the Federal Reserve to cut rates more than once this year, according to Reuters. The CME FedWatch Tools shows the first rate cut could happen in September, with odds for a quarter of a percentage point standing at 71.38%.