Thursday

• Global markets weakened, with Asian benchmarks declining amid geopolitical tensions between China and Japan regarding Taiwan and military export controls. U.S. futures pointed lower following mixed labor market data and concerns about Trump administration policies affecting homebuilders and defense contractors.
• Eurozone producer prices rose 0.5% month-over-month in November, exceeding expectations, while euro area unemployment fell to 6.3%. The 10-year Treasury yield hovered near 4.14-4.16%, while the U.S. dollar strengthened to near 98.70.

• Asian markets showed exceptional strength, with Japan’s Nikkei 225 setting record highs above 52,500 points and posting its strongest start to a year since 1990. China’s major indices closed at multi-year highs, with the Shanghai Composite reaching levels not seen since 2015.
• The FTSE 100 decisively broke above 10,000 points for the first time, supported by energy stocks and miners. The Venezuela crisis, following the capture of President Maduro, failed to trigger significant risk-off sentiment across global equity markets.
• Precious metals extended gains as gold approached $4,500 per ounce and silver surged over 7%. Copper hit record highs above $13,000 per ton amid supply concerns and tariff speculation.
• The dollar index declined after disappointing manufacturing PMI data. Indian markets declined for the second consecutive session, weighed down by profit-taking in heavyweight stocks like Reliance Industries and HDFC Bank.

• US stock futures rise as markets begin the first full week of 2026, supported by Vietnam’s 8.46% Q4 GDP growth and 8.02% full-year expansion. Asian markets led gains with South Korea’s Kospi surging 3.4% to record highs and Japan’s Nikkei advancing 3% to two-month peaks.
• The capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro over the weekend sparked mixed reactions across asset classes. Oil prices fell despite Venezuela’s significant reserves as markets anticipated potential supply increases, while gold jumped 2.3% to one-week highs above $4,400 per ounce.
• Energy sector stocks outperformed significantly as investors positioned for potential infrastructure rebuilding opportunities in Venezuela, with Chevron gaining up to 10% premarket. Bitcoin reached three-week highs above $93,000, benefiting from geopolitical uncertainty and crypto fund inflows hitting $582 million for the week.
• The week ahead features critical US economic data including ISM manufacturing numbers and Friday’s employment report. European markets opened higher with defense contractors leading advances, while bond yields declined as investors sought safety amid the Venezuelan situation.

Monday

• Flows into U.S. spot BTC and ETH ETFs turned positive again, with early‑year inflows on the order of several hundred million dollars for Bitcoin alone, helping underpin BTC above prior resistance.
• Large on‑chain whale deposits, totalling around a couple of billion dollars to major venues like Binance, plus renewed meme‑coin activity, reinforced the idea that sidelined capital was re‑engaging rather than just short covering.
• Macro context was constructive: investors were positioning for 2026 with an eye on softer labor data and a friendlier rate path, which supported risk assets and gave crypto room to extend its early‑January rebound.