The metal may retest a support at $1,716 per ounce, a break below could cause a fall into the range of $1,669 to $1,691, according to Reuters technical analyst Wang Tao.
The European Central Bank may need some time before the recently agreed acceleration in the pace of money printing, ECB President Christine Lagarde said on Thursday.
A break could lead to a gain into a range of $1,761 to $1,783. On the daily chart, gold is riding on a wave 4, which is ending around a falling trendline.
The number of Americans filing new jobless claims fell to a four-month low last week, while the US market morale rose to its highest in a year in early March.
The European Central Bank is likely to signal faster money printing on Thursday to keep a lid on borrowing costs but it will stop short of adding firepower to its already aggressive pandemic-fighting package.