Preliminary Korea Customs Service data show South Korea’s exports rose 6.8% year-on-year during Dec 1–20, with semiconductor shipments up 41.8% and contributing over a quarter of total outbound goods. A late-October tariff deal with the United States capped duties at 15%, including autos retroactive to Nov 1, yet exporters still face currency and inflation pressures.

The market is attempting to steady after sharp swings, with total capitalization around $3.01 trillion, according to CoinMarketCap. Bitcoin is near $89,100 and up about 1.1% over the past 24 hours, while Ethereum trades close to $3,030. Sentiment remains guarded, with the Fear & Greed Index at 29 and altcoin participation muted.

Crypto markets briefly pushed total capitalization back above $3 trillion as the week opened with low volatility amid the Christmas holiday period. October’s US PCE inflation figures on Monday and the third-quarter GDP report on Tuesday are among the main macro updates traders are watching, alongside housing and durable goods data. Bitcoin is trading around $88,500 after briefly touching $89,000, while Ether is struggling to build momentum above the $3,000 level.

After a weekend of consolidation, the crypto market opened trading in the same tight range, with global capitalisation hovering close to $3 trillion and 24-hour volume rising into the $70–80 billion band. Bitcoin is holding short-term support, Ethereum remains above $3,000, and several large-cap tokens show selective strength, while repeated resistance failures and derivatives leverage clean-ups keep conditions choppy. Upcoming US macro data and ETF flows could push Bitcoin toward higher resistance or trigger a breakdown, leaving markets broadly range-bound but increasingly volatility-sensitive.

On December 22, 2025, the People's Bank of China introduced a one-time credit repair policy for individuals with overdue credit records below 10,000 yuan incurred between 2020 and 2025. Eligible borrowers who fully repay these debts by March 31, 2026 will have related overdue entries automatically removed from their credit reports, a move positioned as part of broader post-pandemic economic support.

A bipartisan group of 18 US House lawmakers led by Republican Mike Carey has asked the Internal Revenue Service to revise its crypto staking tax guidance before the start of 2026. They argue current rules can tax staking rewards when received and again on sale, and want tax applied only at disposition to reflect actual economic gains. Another draft proposal from Representatives Max Miller and Steven Horsford would exempt small stablecoin payments from capital gains and allow taxpayers to defer income on staking and mining rewards for up to five years.

Tokenized stocks have surged 2,695% year to date in 2025, outpacing tokenized commodities (225%) and funds (148%), while stablecoins rose 49% in the same period. Ethereum remains the primary issuance venue, but Solana, BNB Chain, Arbitrum, Base, and Polygon have carved out notable market share. Issuers including Backed, Ondo Finance, Dinari, and Robinhood are driving adoption.

The US Federal Reserve is inviting comments on a proposed "payment account", sometimes called a "skinny master account", that could give fintech and crypto firms limited access to its systems. The accounts would not earn interest, have no Fed credit, and face balance caps. Feedback closes 45 days after Federal Register publication, with launch targeted for the fourth quarter of 2026.