Bitcoin closed 2025 at $88,242, about 6% lower for the year and roughly 30% below its early October peak near $126,000, amid heavy liquidations and renewed tariff concerns under U.S. President Donald Trump. Analysts project a short-term rebound in early 2026, with Citi Research citing potential $15 billion in ETF inflows and setting 12‑month Bitcoin scenarios between $78,000 and $189,000. Market watchers are also tracking MicroStrategy's balance sheet metrics and reserve fund, as well as long-term holder behavior and the fading impact of Bitcoin's historic four‑year cycle.

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.

Chinese authorities now require chip manufacturers to prove that at least 50% of their production equipment is domestically made before approving new plant construction or expansion. According to people familiar with the process, this unwritten rule is enforced through procurement reviews and has accelerated since U.S. export controls tightened in 2023, pushing fabs toward local suppliers and boosting sales at firms such as Naura and AMEC.

After debuting on the Tokyo Stock Exchange in December, Kioxia delivered about 540% year-to-date gains in 2025, topping all MSCI World constituents. The chipmaker's market value is roughly ¥5.7 trillion ($36 billion), supported by AI-driven NAND demand and customers such as Apple and Microsoft, according to its November quarterly filing.

Visa and Mastercard are building payment rails that let AI agents search, compare, book, and pay within chat interfaces, a model positioned as agentic commerce. Company leaders say pilots with select users and merchants are live, and a Visa executive allegedly indicated commercial rollout could start as soon as Q1 2026 on platforms such as ChatGPT and Gemini.

On December 29, 2025, DigitalBridge’s stock spiked in early U.S. pre-market trading, briefly climbing around 50% before the regular session opened after reports that SoftBank was in advanced talks to acquire the company. The move followed Bloomberg’s claim that a deal for the New York-listed data center operator, which oversees about $108 billion in assets, could be announced as soon as the same day, though no final agreement had been reached.

Alt5 Sigma, a US‑listed crypto‑focused fintech backed by the Trump family, appointed Victor Mokuolu CPA PLLC as its auditor on December 8, even though the firm's Texas license had expired in August and remained inactive later in December. The company is behind on quarterly filings, faces a potential Nasdaq delisting in 2025, and has undergone management turnover while concentrating its treasury strategy on World Liberty Financial's $WLFI token.

China's electric vehicle makers exported 199,836 cars in November 2025, taking total overseas shipments this year to 1.98 million units, with volumes up 87% year-on-year. Mexico became the largest monthly destination with 19,344 vehicles and a 2,367% surge, while Leapmotor agreed to sell a 3.74 billion yuan stake to FAW Group as competition and profit pressure intensify at home.