The Canadian Dollar (CAD) hit a bit of a soft patch on Friday, kicking off the first trading day of 2026 on the back foot. The Loonie is one of the worst performers for the day, shedding weight against all but one of its major currency peers.

The US Dollar is trading practically flat against the Swiss Franc, right below the 0.7940 line, ahead of the US session opening on Friday, The pair has edged up from three-month lows at the 0.7860 area in late December, but it closed the 2025 year with a more than 12% decline.A combination of market

The Pound has been rejected at 1.3475 on the early London trading session on Friday, and retreated to session lows at the 1.3450 area at the time of writing.

The EUR/GBP extended losses for the third day in a row, although it remains trapped within a tight range, roughly between 0.8700 and 0.8740, in the aftermath of a series of downbeat manufacturing activity data releases in the Eurozone and the UK.

Eurozone M3 Money Supply (3m) remains unchanged at 2.9% in November

Eurozone M3 Money Supply (YoY) registered at 3% above expectations (2.7%) in November

Eurozone HCOB Manufacturing PMI registered at 48.8, below expectations (49.2) in December

Germany HCOB Manufacturing PMI below expectations (47.7) in December: Actual (47)

The Australian Dollar is the best performer among major currencies in an otherwise calm start tobe the year.

France HCOB Manufacturing PMI came in at 50.7, above forecasts (50.6) in December

Italy HCOB Manufacturing PMI registered at 47.9, below expectations (50) in December

EUR/USD opened the year with marginal losses, trading around 1.1740 at the time of writing after having peaked at above 1.1800 in late December.

The Sterling has opened the year in a mild bullish trend against the Japanese Yen, despite the overall New Year’s market lull, but remains capped below the top of the last two weeks’ range, at the 211.50 area.The Yen is on its back foot on Friday amid a moderate market sentiment, with trading volume

USD/CAD posts little losses, trading around 1.3700 during the European hours on Friday. The technical analysis of the daily chart shows an upside breakout above a bullish descending wedge pattern.

The USD/JPY pair trades in positive territory for the fourth consecutive day around 157.00 during the early European session on Friday. The cautious pace of the Bank of Japan’s (BoJ) monetary tightening weighs on the Japanese Yen (JPY) against the Greenback.

Silver price (XAG/USD) rises to near $74.10 per troy ounce during the early European hours on Friday. The price of the grey metal surged 148% in 2025, breaking key levels amid its designation as a critical US mineral, tight supply, low stockpiles, and rising industrial and investment demand.

Here is what you need to know on Friday, January 2:

GBP/USD edges higher on the first day of the year, trading around 1.3470 during the Asian hours on Friday. The technical analysis of the daily chart indicates a weakening of a bullish bias as the pair remains slightly below the lower boundary of the ascending channel pattern.

The EUR/USD pair trades in positive territory around 1.1755 during the early European trading hours on Friday.

USD/CHF loses ground as the US Dollar (USD) weakens over expectations of two more Federal Reserve rate cuts in 2026. The pair is trading around 0.7920 during the Asian hours on Friday.

NZD/USD halts its five-day losing streak, trading around 0.5760 during the Asian hours on Friday. The pair appreciates as the US Dollar (USD) loses ground over expectations of two more Federal Reserve rate cuts in 2026.

USD/CAD pares recent gains from the previous session, trading around 1.3710 during the Asian hours on Friday. The pair depreciates as the US Dollar (USD) loses ground over expectations of two more Federal Reserve rate cuts in 2026.

Silver price (XAG/USD) attracts some buyers to around $72.90 during the Asian trading hours on Friday. The white metal rose more than 140% in 2025, marking its sharpest jump since 1979.

AUD/USD rises more than 0.25% after after remaining flat in the previous session, trading around 0.6690 during the Asian hours on Friday. The pair gains as the Australian Dollar (AUD) finds support amid growing expectations of interest rate hikes from the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA).

The GBP/USD pair gathers strength to around 1.3480 during the early Asian session on Friday. Expectations of the US Federal Reserve (Fed) rate cuts this year weigh on the US Dollar (USD) against the Pound Sterling (GBP). Philadelphia Fed President Anna Paulson is set to speak later on the weekend. 

EUR/USD has recovered its recent losses registered in the previous session, trading around 1.1760 during the Asian hours on Friday. Traders will likely observe Germany’s Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) data later in the day.

The USD/JPY pair gains ground to near 156.75 during the early Asian session on Monday. The Japanese Yen (JPY) softens against the US Dollar (USD) as traders have been disappointed with the slow and cautious pace of the Bank of Japan’s (BoJ) monetary tightening. 

The Yen remains one of the worst-performing major currencies in thin holiday trading on Wednesday.

The EUR/GBP is trading higher for the second consecutive day on a holiday-thinned trading session on Wednesday.

The US Dollar appreciates against the Japanese Yen for the second consecutive day on Wednesday, reaching levels right below one-week highs at 156.70 during the European trading session.