US Session Open: New setup for EUR/NZD, charting commodity currency pairs

The USD/JPY pair gains ground to near 156.75 during the early Asian session on Monday. The Japanese Yen softens against the US Dollar as traders have been disappointed with the slow and cautious pace of the Bank of Japan’s monetary tightening. 

EUR/USD has recovered its recent losses registered in the previous session, trading around 1.1760 during the Asian hours on Friday. Traders will likely observe Germany’s Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index data later in the day.

Gold price rises to near $4,345 during the early Asian session on Friday. Gold finished 2025 with a significant rally, achieving an annual gain of around 65%, its biggest annual gain since 1979. The rally of the precious metal is bolstered by the prospect of further US interest rate cuts in 2026 and safe-haven flows.

BTC/USD remains locked in a two-way structure, with micro supply-and-demand levels guiding early-year price behaviour.

Bitcoin’s (BTC) adoption story is unraveling and the king crypto could see institutional demand return in 2026. Crypto asset managers like Grayscale are betting on Bitcoin’s rally to a new all-time high next year, and themes like Bitcoin as a reserve asset are emerging.

The US Dollar (USD) Index extends its recovery heading toward the end of the year and trades at a fresh nine-day high above 98.30 on Wednesday. The US Department of Labor will publish the weekly Initial Jobless Claims data later in the day. The New York Stock Exchange and the Nasdaq will operate on a regular schedule on New Year's Eve but the US bond markets will close early. Both markets will be closed on January 1.