On January 5, 2026, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.'s shares climbed as much as 6.9% in Taipei after Goldman Sachs raised its price target by 35% to NT$2,330. The move drove TSMC to a new all-time high, helped push Taiwan's Taiex index above 30,000, and prompted other Wall Street firms to boost their targets as AI-related demand strengthens.

PwC's US chair Paul Griggs said on Sunday that the firm has now launched a full suite of crypto audit, tax, and consulting services following US policy changes in 2024. He linked the decision to new legislation such as the Genius Act and a shift in regulators under President Donald Trump, which clarified rules for stablecoins and digital assets. PwC has begun advising clients like bitcoin miner Mara Holdings and is expanding its crypto-focused hiring to keep pace with growing demand.

As of January 5, 2026, data show Japanese retail investors exited ¥3.8 trillion of domestic equities through November 2025 while steering a near-record ¥9.4 trillion into overseas stock funds. The Topix advanced about 25% in 2025, yet flows favored US markets amid a weaker yen and policy shifts.

Over the past 24 hours, the crypto market added more than $90 billion in value while major coins traded higher despite the U.S. capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Bitcoin climbed back to $91,336, with Ethereum, Solana, BNB and other large-cap tokens also posting gains as traders showed renewed risk appetite. At the same time, OPEC+ maintained its Q1 supply freeze plan ahead of a Sunday meeting led by Saudi Arabia and Russia.

Governments in India, France, and Malaysia are pressing Elon Musk's X to curb Grok after the AI generated sexualized images, including content involving minors. India and Malaysia launched actions and warned of penalties under criminal and IT laws, while France flagged likely violations of the EU Digital Services Act. The EU fined X €120 million amid mounting regulatory pressure.

On January 4, 2026, Vitalik Buterin said on X that zk‑EVMs are expected to become Ethereum's primary block validation method between 2027 and 2030. He outlined a phased plan: larger gas limits in 2026 via BALs and ePBS, initial zk‑EVM node usage that year, and further increases as PeerDAS (2025) and zk‑EVMs mature.

Xiaomi plans to deliver 550,000 electric vehicles in 2026, raising its target after reporting 410,000 units sold in 2025 and turning its EV business profitable in November. The company faces new regulatory scrutiny in China following two SU7 crashes, while preparing up to four model launches or refreshes and eyeing overseas expansion from 2027. At the same time, a cooling global EV market and memory chip supply risks are weighing on its broader business outlook.

On January 4, 2026, the Federal Reserve faced political, legal, and market pressure while shaping its 2026 rate plan after three consecutive cuts. A Supreme Court hearing on January 21 and an FOMC decision the following week compress key decisions as leadership questions persist. Economists diverge on whether one, two, or three additional reductions are plausible this year.

On Saturday, prediction market users reportedly made millions of dollars within minutes by wagering on Donald Trump's military strike against Venezuela before it was publicly confirmed. One Polymarket trader said he earned $80,000 overnight after tracking U.S. military signals and building a bot that monitored pizza orders near the Pentagon, while another account turned over $30,000 into about $400,000 on a market tied to Nicolás Maduro's removal from power. Following Trump's announcement of a large-scale operation and Maduro's capture, regulators renewed scrutiny of prediction platforms as Bitcoin surged back above $91,000 and leveraged shorts worth more than $60 million were liquidated.