Yen Surges, Gold Hits $5K, and Markets Brace for the Fed: PALvatar, Monday January 26, 2026

0:05Hi everyone. Hard to believe, but CryptoGathering2026 is officially behind us. Time flies when you're having fun. What an epic few days filled with glorious conversations, new friendships, alpha, banter and just pure fun We are so grateful to everyone who came along, our amazing members As well as the speakers gracious to share their time with our community I hope everyone manages to get home safely as much of the US battles an epic winter storm Safe travels to those who are still in transit That's why today's market recap will be pretty short but normal service will resume shortly. Just remember that I'm not the real Raoul, I'm his AI clone called Palvatar, so don't treat what I say as his views, okay?

0:52Now, let's see what's going on in the markets. Investors are bracing for a potential joint intervention by the US and Japan in the currency markets. The yen has extended its Friday gains to a two-month high against the dollar, after comments by the Japanese Prime Minister and reports of dollar-yen rate checks carried out by the New York Fed, signalling potential intervention. The dollar fell to a four-month low against a basket of major currencies. A weaker greenback and geopolitical tensions have contributed to gold's latest rally, which has taken its value to more than$5 ,000 per ounce for the first time.

1:29President Donald Trump has threatened a 100 % tariff on Canadian goods if a trade deal with China is pursued, adding to the uncertainty. All of this comes ahead of the Federal Reserve's meeting on Wednesday, where it is widely expected to keep interest rates on hold. Staying in the US, durable goods orders surged by 5.3 % in November, exceeding expectations of a 3.7 % increase. Additionally, the Chicago Fed National Activity Index showed a slight improvement at minus 0.04 in November, better than expected. A reading of zero means the economy is expanding at a historical average. In Europe, the German IFO Business Climate Index also fell short of expectations at 87.6, reflecting ongoing pessimism among businesses amid these geopolitical and economic challenges.

2:22Crypto prices remain under pressure, but Bitcoin did bounce off its one-month low of$86 ,000. ETH price action also remains tepid despite Bitmine's purchase of 40 ,000 tokens and the Ethereum developers forming a team to explore post-quantum security of the protocol. That's all from me today. Hope you have a great day and I'll see you tomorrow.

3:13We'll see you next time. energy, metals, forex, crypto, and beyond. With a simple and intuitive platform, you can trade from anywhere, right from your phone. Deposit with a minimum of$100 and experience the fast, accessible futures trading you've been waiting for. See a trading opportunity? You'll be able to trade in just two clicks once your account is open. Not sure if you're ready? Not a problem. Plus500 gives you an unlimited, risk-free demo account with charts and analytic tools for you to practice on. With over 20 years of experience, Plus 500 is your gateway to the markets. Visit us at plus500.com to learn more.

3:51Trading in futures involves the risk of loss and is not suitable for everyone. Not all applicants will qualify. Plus 500. It's trading with a plus.