• Gold price drops sharply as investors turn cautious ahead of the US inflation data for January.
• Fed policymakers could maintain their hawkish rhetoric if inflation turns out stubbornly high.
• The US Dollar rebounds strongly amid a dismal market mood.

Gold price (XAU/USD) faces a sharp sell-off in Monday’s London session ahead of the United States Consumer Price Index (CPI) data for January. In addition, major Asian markets are closed on Monday due to the Chinese New Year. 

The precious metal remains on edge ahead of US inflation data for January, which may impact the outlook on interest rates. The opportunity cost of holding non-yielding assets, such as Gold, increases if inflation remains stubbornly high as it increases the odds of a hawkish stance from the Federal Reserve (Fed).

Fed policymakers have maintained arguments in favor of higher interest rates for longer until they get confidence that the underlying inflation will sustainably return to the 2% target. The reasoning behind the Fed’s hawkish narrative is the resilient labor market and robust household spending. Fed policymakers have admitted that the inflation data decline is encouraging but is insufficient to unwind the tight interest rate stance.