Asia Market Open: Bitcoin Inches Higher, Asian Markets Gain in Year-Opening Trade

Bitcoin held near $88,000 on Friday as markets eased into the first trading session of 2026, with holiday-thinned volumes keeping moves measured and investors lining up for a year packed with policy and tech-driven catalysts.

Early risk-taking showed up most clearly in Asia, where Hong Kong and South Korea led gains as technology and semiconductor shares extended a late 2025 bounce. Japan and mainland China stayed shut for holidays, which kept liquidity light across the region.

Crypto traders kept a close eye on whether Bitcoin can turn that calm into momentum, after a choppy stretch around the year-end. Akshat Siddhant, lead quant analyst at Mudrex, said Bitcoin is gradually regaining strength.

“For the first time in months, the 30-day change in long-term holder supply has turned positive, rising by around 10,700 BTC, signalling renewed conviction among investors,” he said.

“At the same time, continued exchange outflows suggest reduced selling pressure, helping build momentum. If Bitcoin manages to clear the $89,500 resistance, a decisive move towards the $100,000 mark is likely, with $87,000 emerging as a strong support level.”

Market snapshot

• Bitcoin: $88,574, up 1.2%
• Ether: $3,009, up 1.2%
• XRP: $1.87, up 2%
• Total crypto market cap: $3.08 trillion, up 1.2%

Equity Futures Advance On Year-End Strength In Technology Shares

Across equity futures, investors leaned into the same year-opening tone, S&P 500 futures rose 0.29% and Nasdaq futures added 0.36% as traders carried over a year-end lift in big tech.

That optimism still traces back to the AI trade, which powered much of 2025’s gains as money chased applications, data centres and advanced chips. As 2026 begins, investors are watching whether earnings can keep validating those valuations, especially with policy uncertainty building in Washington.

Attention now shifts to the US economy and the Federal Reserve, with markets waiting on delayed data after the US government shutdown and recalibrating expectations for rate cuts. Traders price in only a 15% chance of a cut this month, with one more reduction seen by June.

Markets Brace For Political Risk And Policy Shifts

Politics also sits squarely in the mix, President Donald Trump is expected to announce Chair Jerome Powell’s replacement later this month, a move that investors see as another potential source of volatility.

Meanwhile, metals stayed in the spotlight after a blockbuster 2025, spot gold rose 0.9% to $4,351.70 an ounce and spot silver jumped 2% to $72.63 per ounce, extending a run powered by rate-cut expectations, geopolitical tension and demand flows.

In currencies, the dollar started the year on the back foot after its steepest annual drop in eight years, with investors weighing a more dovish Fed path against a shifting global rate backdrop.