On December 26, 2025, China’s central bank set the yuan’s daily fixing at ¥7.0358 per dollar, 301 pips below market estimates. The decision followed the offshore yuan’s dip below ¥7 per dollar on Thursday for the first time since September 2024, with the offshore rate around ¥7.0024 at press time and near-term resistance seen near ¥6.9.

Japan’s equity market is closing 2025 with a 23% Topix surge as Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi advances a ¥112 trillion budget and a ¥18 trillion stimulus across 17 sectors. The BOJ lifted its main rate to 0.75% and meets on January 22–23, while a weak yen is aiding exporters but could threaten incomes if it nears 165 per dollar.

Silver climbed to a record $75 per ounce in early Friday trading, extending its 2025 gain to 158% amid heavy vault inflows and concerns over potential US trade curbs. Gold moved closer to its $4,525 per ounce peak as investors sought safety, while US pressure on Venezuela's oil sector and President Donald Trump's announced strike on a terrorist group in Nigeria rattled broader markets.

Tsinghua University in northwest Beijing has emerged as a core hub for China’s AI strategy, with government backing, homegrown chips, and startups like DeepSeek founded by its alumni. Between 2005 and the end of 2024, the university filed 4,986 AI and machine learning patents, while students developed models that reportedly rivaled larger systems from US labs. China has expanded AI education from elementary school onward and dramatically increased its share of the world’s top AI researchers, even as US institutions still lead in the most influential patents and top-performing models.

China's Guangzhou Futures Exchange will from December 29 restrict non-futures firms to opening 300 lots per day in designated platinum and palladium contracts and raise the minimum opening size to two lots. The move comes after platinum surged to $2,377.50 and palladium jumped more than 85% this year, while Shanghai silver spiked to $80 per ounce and China's main silver fund hit its 10% daily limit down.

On Dec. 25, 2025, World Liberty Financial said on X that its USD1 stablecoin's market capitalization exceeded $3 billion. Binance launched a USD1 Booster Program offering up to 20% APR and began a 1:1 swap of B-Token BUSD collateral into USD1, while a BTC/USD1 spot pair flash crash briefly printed $24,000 before spiking above $87,000.

In the U.S. economy, large-cap firms such as Amazon and Nvidia are reporting billions in profits and fresh stock highs, while many small businesses are cutting staff and hours. Recent data show companies with fewer than 50 workers have shed 120,000 jobs in November, even as S&P 500 companies recorded a 12.9% rise in net income in the third quarter of 2025. Owners across retail, restaurants, and promotional goods say tariffs, inflation, and weaker demand are squeezing margins and forcing painful staffing decisions.

By late 2025, investors began to separate AI companies that generate strong cash flows from those pouring capital into infrastructure with uncertain returns. Asset-heavy spending by Big Tech on data centers and GPUs contrasts with suppliers like Nvidia and Broadcom that collect the revenue. Market strategists warn that high valuations, debt-funded AI build-outs, and unproven startups could tighten profit margins and force sharper differentiation among AI players.

On Thursday, China's yuan moved through the ¥7-per-dollar mark for the first time since September 2024, with offshore trading at 6.9964 and the onshore rate closing at 7.0067. The currency has risen more than 3.8% this year alongside a stronger central bank fixing, while developer China Vanke faces renewed pressure as holders of a 3.7 billion yuan bond vote on repayment delay options. Analysts say the yuan remains weak relative to fundamentals, and Vanke continues to manage about $50 billion in interest-bearing debt as it negotiates with creditors.