• Gold price drifts lower for the second straight day and is pressured by a combination of factors.
• The Trump trade optimism continues to underpin the USD and weighs on the precious metal. 
• A positive risk tone also undermines the safe-haven XAU/USD despite more Fed rate cut bets.

Gold price (XAU/USD) adds to last week's heavy losses and remains under some selling pressure for the second successive day on Monday. The US Dollar (USD) holds steady below a four-month peak touched last week in the wake of optimism over Donald Trump's anticipated expansionary policies and turns out to be a key factor undermining the commodity. Furthermore, President-elect Trump has vowed to cut corporate taxes, which remains supportive of the risk-on mood and contributes to driving flows away from the safe-haven precious metal.

Meanwhile, expectations that Trump's policies could spur economic growth and inflation and restrict the Federal Reserve's (Fed) ability to cut interest rates more aggressively keep the US Treasury bond yields elevated. This, in turn, exerts additional pressure on the non-yielding Gold price, though bets for further Fed rate cuts could offer some support. Traders might also opt to move to the sidelines ahead of this week's release of the latest US consumer inflation figures and speeches by influential FOMC members, including Fed Chair Jerome Powell on Friday.