On December 31, 2025, the China EV landscape was described as consolidating amid intensifying price competition. In 2025, Tesla’s sales fell 7.4% and BYD’s declined 5.1%, with BYD’s November down 26.5%. Analysts highlighted market concentration and prolonged discounting, while Geely, BYD and Volkswagen accelerated overseas expansion and local development plans for 2026.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration delayed its Weekly Petroleum Status Report on Monday, first canceling a 10:30 a.m. ET release before setting 5 p.m. publication after market close. The report covers inventories for the week ended Dec. 19, and the shift followed staffing cuts and a holiday order granting Dec. 24 and Dec. 26 off. Brent settled at $61.92; WTI at $57.95.

On Tuesday, Clear Street's Owen Lau told CNBC that the pace of Federal Reserve cuts in 2026 may be a major driver for retail re-entering crypto. Fed December minutes released Tuesday signaled flexibility on policy, while Polymarket puts the odds of a January cut at 15% and March at 52%.

Ethereum is trading just under the $3,000 technical pivot, a level that has historically separated expansion from consolidation. XRP is now sitting on a long-term weekly support slightly below $2, while Solana has pulled back to the $120 zone that has often acted as a launch area. Market behavior suggests controlled declines and weakening sell pressure, leaving room for potential reversals if these supports hold.

On 26 December, total crypto market capitalization hovered near $2.96 trillion with roughly $102.94 billion in daily volume, according to CoinMarketCap. Bitcoin traded between $86,000 and $90,000 while the Fear and Greed Index read 30; since 18 December, market cap rose from $2.85 trillion to $2.96 trillion, an increase of about $110 billion, as Santiment noted social spikes on price dips.

On Tuesday, Bitcoin traded around $88,224, up 1.12%, while Ethereum hovered near $2,967 as major altcoin volumes slid to their lowest levels of 2025. Over the weekend, BitMine Immersion Technologies staked 342,560 ETH, worth about $1 billion, tightening Ethereum's validator entry queue. At the same time, a proposed 5% annual tax on net wealth above $1 billion in California, including unrealized crypto gains, has raised concerns about capital outflows from the state's digital asset sector.

On December 30, the New York Stock Exchange listed five America-first Truth Social-themed ETFs managed by Yorkville America Equities under Trump Media & Technology Group Corp.'s Truth.Fi brand. Built on MarkerVector indexes and focused on U.S. strength and "Made in America" priorities, the lineup includes tickers TSSD, TSFN, TSIC, TSES, and TSRS.

On December 30, Russia's Ministry of Justice published draft amendments proposing criminal penalties for unregistered cryptocurrency mining. The plan includes fines up to 2.5 million rubles, forced labor, or prison terms up to five years, with thresholds at 3.5 million and 13.5 million rubles. Mining was legalized in November 2024, with registries and monthly reporting already in place.