Japan’s construction orders surged in December, showing a year-on-year increase to 20.2%, up from the previous 9.5%. Meanwhile, the US Dollar holds a steady tone against various currencies, with noteworthy movements in currencies like USD\/INR as the Indian Rupee weakens.<\/p>\n
The EUR\/USD has seen a recovery, moving above 1.1900, while GBP\/USD stabilises above 1.3750. Gold is facing downward pressure amidst a solid US Dollar, with attention on the $5,100 mark.<\/p>\n
Market dynamics include increased sell-off in cryptocurrencies, affecting Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Ripple. On the corporate side, Microsoft experienced a significant market decline, creating a $400 billion loss.<\/p>\n
Forex brokerage firms are evaluated, highlighting the top brokers for 2026. Categories include brokers with low spreads, high leverage, and specialised accounts like Islamic and swap-free.<\/p>\n
FXStreet advises caution by outlining the inherent risks associated with market investments and stresses the importance of thorough research. They also clarify that the information provided should not be considered as specific investment advice. This general information aims to aid understanding of market conditions and trends but comes with a disclaimer on possible errors or omissions.<\/p>\n
The US Dollar’s strength is the central theme we must watch, fueled by uncertainty surrounding the next Federal Reserve Chair appointment. This momentum was reinforced when the last inflation report for December 2025 showed a resilient 3.9% CPI, surprising markets and reducing the probability of near-term rate cuts. We should therefore consider positioning for further dollar upside through futures or call options against other major currencies.<\/p>\n
This environment is creating significant downward pressure on Gold, which is now testing the $5,100 per ounce mark. After the major rally we saw through most of 2025, which was a response to the persistent inflation of the prior two years, a pullback is now underway. Bearish positions, such as buying put options on XAU\/USD, could be profitable if the dollar’s ascent continues.<\/p>\n
We are seeing a clear risk-off mood in equities, best shown by the recent $400 billion Microsoft sell-off. This has pushed the VIX, a key measure of market fear, above 25 for the first time in months, a sharp rise from its low of 18 just a few weeks ago. Hedging with index puts on the S&P 500 or Nasdaq 100 appears prudent until this volatility subsides.<\/p>\n
The upcoming Q4 2025 GDP data for Germany and the Eurozone will be a critical test for the EUR\/USD pair. Current forecasts anticipate a stagnant economy, with some analysts predicting a slight contraction of -0.2% for the quarter, which would add further weight on the Euro. A break below the 1.1900 level could open the door for a much larger downward move.<\/p>\n
One potential exception to the dollar’s dominance could come from Japan. The surprising surge in Japanese construction orders to 20.2% is a powerful signal of domestic economic strength. This may pressure the Bank of Japan to adopt a less dovish policy, creating a potential headwind for the USD\/JPY pair.<\/p>\n
Create your live VT Markets account<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0start trading<\/a>\u00a0now. <\/b><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Japan’s construction orders surge; US Dollar steady; crypto sell-off hits; Microsoft loses $400 billion market value.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":62,"featured_media":16959,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[59],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-40493","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-live-updates"],"acf":{"acf_article_selection_author":null},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vtmarkets.com\/en-asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40493","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vtmarkets.com\/en-asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vtmarkets.com\/en-asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vtmarkets.com\/en-asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/62"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vtmarkets.com\/en-asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=40493"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.vtmarkets.com\/en-asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40493\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vtmarkets.com\/en-asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16959"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vtmarkets.com\/en-asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40493"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vtmarkets.com\/en-asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=40493"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vtmarkets.com\/en-asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=40493"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}