South Korea Money Supply Growth: 6.8% (November) vs previous 7.1%

AUD/USD edges lower after registering slight gains in the previous session, trading around 0.6680 during the Asian hours on Thursday. The pair loses ground after Australia’s Consumer Inflation Expectations were released.

The People’s Bank of China (PBOC) sets the USD/CNY central rate for the trading session ahead on Thursday at 7.0064 compared to the previous day's fix of 7.0120 and 6.9678 Reuters estimate.

West Texas Intermediate (WTI), the US crude oil benchmark, is trading around $60.35 during the Asian trading hours on Thursday. The WTI price edges higher amid persistent tensions in Iran. Traders will closely monitor the latest geopolitical developments surrounding the Iranian civil unrest.

South Korea BoK Interest Rate Decision meets expectations (2.5%)

Bitcoin's price has largely tracked net institutional demand over the past year, according to Bitwise. Net institutional demand is the buying activity of global exchange-traded products (ETPs) and treasury companies minus new supply.

Gold price (XAU/USD) climbs to near $4,615 and is set to retest a record high during the early Asian session on Thursday. The precious metal extends its upside as traders flock to safe havens amid geopolitical and economic uncertainties.

Australia Consumer Inflation Expectations declined to 4.6% in January from previous 4.7%

United Kingdom RICS Housing Price Balance above forecasts (-16%) in December: Actual (-14%)

Japan Producer Price Index (YoY) meets forecasts (2.4%) in December

Japan Producer Price Index (MoM) meets expectations (0.1%) in December

US President Trump said that he would impose a 25% tariff on select semiconductors, including the Nvidia H200 AI processor and a similar semiconductor from AMD called the MI325X, Reuters reported on Wednesday.

EUR/USD consolidates on Wednesday, hoovers around the 1.1645, unchanged amid a risk-off mood sponsored by geopolitical risks, which kept traders on the sidelines.

The USD/JPY pair tumbles to around 158.25 during the early Asian session on Thursday. The Japanese Yen (JPY) rebounds against the US Dollar (USD) after Japanese officials warned of potential intervention to shore up the currency.

Silver prices skyrocket toa new record high after bouncing off a daily low of $86.91, hitting a new all-time high at $93.50 and it seems poised to clear the $100.00 barrier in the near term. At the time of writing, XAG/USD trades at $93.05, soaring over 7%.

Gold (XAU/USD) makes a U-turn and registers solid gains on Wednesday, sponsored by broad US Dollar weakness, even though the latest inflation data cemented the case for the Federal Reserve (Fed) to hold rates unchanged in January. XAU/USD trades at $4,615, up 0.65%.

Litecoin (LTC) has seen a surge in whale activity and derivatives interest over the past three days, despite subdued prices.

This report was prepared at the Federal Reserve (Fed) Bank of Richmond based on information collected on or before january 5, 2026.

In quite an erratic week, the US Dollar (USD) reversed Tuesday’s marked advance and shifted its attention to the opposite direction on the back of jitters surrounding the Fed’s independence as well as swelling speculation of further interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve later in the year.

West Texas Intermediate (WTI) extends its rebound on Wednesday, rising for a fifth straight day as escalating unrest in Iran fuels a fresh geopolitical risk premium.

Federal Reserve (Fed) Bank of Atlanta President Raphael Bostic said that inflation is still quite far from where they need it to be even though the economy has been pretty resilient at the Atlanta Business Chronicle 2026 Economic Outlook event on Wednesday.

Federal Reserve (Fed) Bank of Minneapolis President Neel Kashkari said that the overall economy seems quite resilient and that He has seen less tariff pass through than expected at the Midwest Economic Forecast Forum hosted online by the Wisconsin Bankers Association on Wednesday.

Bank of England Deputy Governor David Ramsden said that wages will remain a key focus for him this year and that his view is that policy remains restrictive in a speech at King's College, in London on Wednesday.

NZD/USD trades higher on Wednesday, hovering around 0.5750 at the time of writing, up 0.25% on the day.

US-listed spot Ethereum (ETH) exchange-traded funds (ETFs) recorded about $130 million in net inflows on Tuesday, their largest in nearly a week, per SoSoValue data. BlackRock's ETHA recorded the largest inflow, attracting $53.3 million after four consecutive days of outflows.

Solana (SOL) is showing renewed strength, trading above $146 at the time of writing on Wednesday, as multiple catalysts converge to support a bullish outlook. SOL’s rebound follows weeks of consolidation above the $120 support level.

The Japanese Yen (JPY) strengthens against the US Dollar (USD) on Wednesday after fresh warnings from Japanese authorities revived speculation of possible intervention to curb excessive Yen weakness.