On January 2, 2026, Bank of America chairman and CEO Brian Moynihan said the US economy’s prospects remain solid, supported by strong employment and rising wages. He noted the bank has lifted its 2026 growth forecast to 2.4% on expectations of tax cuts and increased business investment, while warning that weaker consumer spending or global conflicts could still threaten the outlook.

On New Year's Day, trader Vida reportedly earned over $1.5 million by trading around an abnormal $26 million bid wall on Binance for the small-cap token BROCCOLI714. Vida shifted from an arbitrage hedge to directional longs and later shorts as Binance's circuit breakers distorted spot-futures prices and the bid wall disappeared. The episode raised questions about the source of the orders and how the exchange's risk controls functioned under extreme conditions.

The Federal Reserve released minutes on Dec. 30 from its Dec. 9–10 meeting, flagging rising liquidity risks and fragility in short‑term funding, according to the record. Officials weighed technical T‑bill purchases near $220 billion and repo facility tweaks, while, as of Jan. 2, traders saw an 85.1% chance the 3.50%–3.75% target range holds into Jan. 27–28, 2026.

South Korean exchange Bithumb identified about 291.6 billion Korean won (roughly $201.8 million) in idle customer crypto spread across around 2.6 million accounts, according to Finance Feeds. The review flagged balances untouched for up to 4,380 days, including a single dormant account worth approximately $2.84 million. Some holdings logged gains exceeding 61,000%.

On January 2, 2026, Bitcoin traded in a tight range near $85K as traders weighed the next major move and assessed a possible bullish setup for 2026. Market participants also observed weakening Bitcoin dominance and growing strength in Ethereum, while PEPE drew attention as it chased past valuation milestones set by SHIB and DOGE. Whales were reported to have accumulated significant BTC throughout 2025, fueling expectations of a large rally ahead.

On January 2, 2026, Bank of Korea Governor Rhee Chang Yong said South Korea's economy remains solid despite the won's slide and vowed to resist US-bound investments that could unsettle FX. Authorities rolled out support measures last week as the won neared 1,500 per dollar, and the policy rate was held at 2.5% in late November.

Bitcoin hovered around $88,000 as 2026's first trading session began, with holiday-thinned volumes and gains led by Hong Kong and South Korea. S&P 500 futures added 0.29% and Nasdaq futures rose 0.36%, while a Mudrex analyst highlighted $89,500 resistance, $87,000 support, and a potential path toward $100,000.

On Friday, a widely tracked Crypto Fear & Greed Index climbed from "extreme fear" to a "fear" reading of 29, marking its highest level since Dec. 12 while Bitcoin remained below $90,000 at around $88,995. Some market commentators argue that the index's roughly eight-week stay in fearful territory suggests a potentially favorable risk-reward setup, even as analytics firms describe sentiment heading into 2026 as marked by mixed emotions.