On December 29, 2025, economist Tyler Cowen highlighted that the US Dollar Index has fallen 10.41% since the start of 2025 while gold and silver have staged historic price rallies. Gold has climbed 65.32% to $4,331 per ounce and silver has jumped 147.97% to $72 per ounce, which he argues is a "flash warning" about rising economic and political risks and waning confidence in the dollar as a safe-haven asset.

On December 29, 2025, analyst Jack Inabinet reviewed ten major Polymarket contracts that reflect what prediction market users expect for 2026 across sports, politics, economics and climate. Bettors currently favor Spain to win the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the Los Angeles Rams to capture Super Bowl LX, and Spider-Man: Brand New Day to lead global box-office revenue, while also pricing in Federal Reserve rate cuts and a relatively low 27% probability of a U.S. recession. Markets are also assigning measurable odds to a Netflix acquisition of Warner Bros. assets, changes in U.S. congressional control, record global temperatures, a Nobel Peace Prize awarded to the International Court of Justice, and a 16% chance of another impeachment of President Donald Trump by the end of 2026.

Crypto derivatives activity climbed in 2025 as traders shifted to onchain perpetual futures, according to Coinbase researcher David Duong. He said decentralized exchanges were processing over $1 trillion in monthly perp volume by late in the year, with leverage and the lack of an altcoin season drawing participants to perps rather than spot.

After briefly climbing back above $90,000 following the Christmas weekend, Bitcoin has fallen below $87,000 as extreme negative sentiment eased into neutrality. Ethereum followed a similar pattern, with both assets consolidating in tightening ranges instead of extending their late-December rebound. Price action and positioning now suggest compression and uncertainty rather than a confirmed recovery trend.

On December 29, 2025, CryptoQuant said crypto derivatives Open Interest jumped by $2.4 billion in December even as trading activity fell 40%. Bitcoin OI rose from $22 billion to $23 billion and Ethereum from $13 billion to $15 billion, with BTC near $88,000 and the Fear Index at 37.

Ethereum’s total value locked remains elevated despite the latest market pullback, with onchain capital consolidating around core protocols. TVL on Ethereum is about $68.6 billion, while aggregate DeFi TVL stands near $182 billion. A 2026 outlook from Joseph Chalom foresees a potential 10x increase driven by stablecoins and tokenized RWAs.

According to CoinShares, crypto exchange-traded products recorded $446 million in weekly outflows, led by selling in Bitcoin and Ethereum. XRP funds drew $70 million and Solana $7.5 million, while cumulative outflows since the Oct. 10 market shock reached $3.2 billion. U.S.-listed products saw $460 million of outflows; Germany attracted $35.7 million.

BlackRock's USD Institutional Digital Liquidity Fund (BUIDL) has reached $100 million in cumulative onchain dividend payouts, announced Monday by its issuer Securitize. Launched in March 2024 on Ethereum, BUIDL invests in short‑term U.S. dollar assets and has expanded to six additional blockchains, with assets peaking above $2.8 billion in October.