ECB's Lane: Baseline assumes localised lockdowns over coming year

The EUR/USD pair trades in positive territory around 1.1775 during the early Asian session on Monday. The prospect of a US Federal Reserve rate cut in 2026 weighs on the US Dollar against the Euro. Markets brace for US President Donald Trump to nominate a Fed chair to replace Jerome Powell, whose term ends in May. 

GBP/USD edges lower after a gap-up open, trading around 0.7410 during the Asian hours on Monday. However, the pair may gain ground as the US Dollar faces challenges, which could be attributed to growing expectations of two more rate cuts by the Federal Reserve in 2026.

Gold retreats after setting a new record-high at $4,550 earlier in the Asian session on Monday and eases toward $4,500 as trading volumes thin out ahead of the New Year break. The US Dollar bearish bias remains unabated on the back of dovish Fed expectations, which continues to act as a tailwind for the bullion amid persistent geopolitical risks.

Ethereum lost 12% of its value in 2025, declining from $3,336 at the beginning of the year to $2,930 as of the third week of December, a stark contrast from 2024's 48% gain. But that percentage doesn't do justice to the wild year ETH had in 2025.

After a year marked by global economic resilience and ending on a note of optimism, 2026 looks promising and could be a year of solid economic performance. In our baseline scenario, we expect most of the supportive factors at work in 2025 to continue to play a role in 2026.

Avalanche trades close to $12 by press time on Wednesday, extending the nearly 2% drop from the previous day. Grayscale filed an updated form to convert its Avalanche-focused Trust into an ETF with the US Securities and Exchange Commission.