USD/JPY: Upward bias to remain intact as long as 156.80 is not breached – UOB Group

EUR/USD extends its losses, trading around 1.1710 during the Asian hours on Monday. The pair loses ground as the US Dollar strengthens on safe-haven demand, driven by a renewed rise in geopolitical risks following the United States’ capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

GBP/USD extends its losses for the second successive session, trading around 1.3420 during the Asian hours on Monday. The technical analysis of the daily chart indicates that the 14-day Relative Strength Index at 53 has eased from near overbought, indicating that momentum has cooled while remaining above the midline. RSI holds above 50, keeping a modest bullish bias.

Gold regains upside traction early Monday as flight to safety prevails on Venezuela turmoil. The US Dollar finds strong haven demand, caps Gold’s upside as focus shifts to US jobs data. Gold’s daily technical setup suggests that more upside remains in the offing.

Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Ripple extended their rallies on Monday, gaining more than 4%, 6%, and 12%, respectively, in the previous week. The top three cryptocurrencies by market capitalization could continue to outperform, with bulls in control of the momentum.

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.

Year 2025 was volatile, as crypto often is.  Among positive catalysts were favourable regulatory changes in the U.S., rise of Digital Asset Treasuries (DAT), adoption of AI and tokenization of Real-World-Assets (RWA).