AUD/USD: Bear flag breakdown puts Aussie on the defensive ahead of RBA's Lowe speech

The US Dollar is finding some near-term demand after the release of the US Q3 GDP. According to the report, the economy expanded at an annualized rate of 4.3% in the three months to September, well above the 3.3% forecast by market analysts.

GBP/USD retreats from session highs and trades slightly below 1.3500 in the second half of the day on Tuesday. The US Dollar stages a rebound following the better-than-expected Q3 growth data, limiting the pair's upside ahead of the Christmas break.

Gold rises and hits its record high around $4,505 during the Asian session on Wednesday. The precious metal gains momentum as the Israel-Iran conflict and the rising in US-Venezuela tensions boost the safe-haven demand. Furthermore, the recent soft US inflation and cool jobs reports have fueled market expectations for at least two 25-basis-point rate cuts from the US Federal Reserve next year. 

Ripple is extending its decline below $1.90 at the time of writing on Tuesday, as headwinds intensify across the crypto market. Negative market sentiment has persisted despite a surge in inflows to XRP spot Exchange Traded Funds.

2026 may be less about a neat “base case” and more about a regime shift—the market can reprice what matters most (growth, inflation, fiscal, geopolitics, concentration). The biggest trap is false comfort: the same trades can look defensive… right up until they become crowded.

Dogecoin extends its decline as risk-off sentiment dominates across the crypto market. DOGE’s derivatives market remains weak amid suppressed futures Open Interest and perpetual funding rate.