5 Critical Crypto Market Moves to Watch Before Traditional Markets Open on January 2, 2026

While Wall Street sips its morning coffee, the crypto markets never sleep—here's what's moving the digital asset landscape before the opening bell.

Institutional Floodgates Creak Open

Another major asset manager files for a spot Ethereum ETF—traditional finance's slow, bureaucratic embrace of crypto continues, proving even dinosaurs can learn new tricks when there's profit on the table.

Regulatory Whiplash Across Borders

Japan's FSA greenlights new stablecoin frameworks while another U.S. agency debates enforcement actions. The global patchwork gets more confusing by the day—navigating it requires a lawyer, a map, and a strong stomach.

DeFi Protocol Quietly Hits New ATH

A leading decentralized exchange surges past its previous all-time high in total value locked. It happens without fanfare, press releases, or CEO interviews—just code doing what it was built to do, 24/7.

Bitcoin Miner Holdings Shrink Again

On-chain data shows another drawdown in miner reserves. Whether it's capitulation or strategic reallocation, the network's foundational players are moving coins—a signal that often precedes volatility.

‘Uptober’ Momentum Fades into ‘Wary January’

The historic Q4 rally shows signs of exhaustion. Traders pivot from greed to caution, because in crypto, the only thing faster than a pump is the dump that follows—especially when traditional market players log back in after the holidays.

Stock Futures Rise to Kick Off 2026 Trading

Stock futures are pointing to a higher open as the market looks to rebound from four straight days of losses at the end of 2025. Futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average were up 0.4% recently, while those linked to the benchmark S&P 500 and the tech-heavy Nasdaq added 0.6% and 1%, respectively. Analysts expect another solid year for stocks in 2026, after the Nasdaq, S&P 500 and Dow respectively gained roughly 20%, 16%, and 13% last year. Bitcoin was at $89,500 this morning, after hitting a low of around $87,500 yesterday. The yield on the 10-year Treasury, which affects borrowing costs on all sorts of loans, was holding steady at 4.15%.

Tesla Shares Move Higher Ahead of Deliveries Report

Shares of Tesla (TSLA) are rising ahead of today’s expected release of fourth-quarter delivery numbers. The electric vehicle Maker is expected to report 422,850 deliveries, which would represent a decline from the third quarter, when buyers rushed to purchase the company’s vehicles ahead of the expiration of a federal tax credit for EVs. Tesla is forecast to report 1.64 million deliveries for 2025, according to analyst estimates released by the company. Tesla delivered roughly 1.8 million vehicles in both 2023 and 2024. Tesla shares, which rose more than 11% in 2025 as investors increasingly focus on the company's non-EV businesses, were up 1.5% in recent premarket trading.

Furniture Sellers Gain as Tariff Increases Delayed

Shares of furniture sellers are rising ahead of the opening bell after the White House said it would delay a scheduled increase in tariffs on upholstered furniture, kitchen cabinets and vanities until 2027. The move comes after President Donald TRUMP set a 25% tariff on these products in September. Those tariffs were scheduled to increase on Jan. 1, but the White House said the increases would be delayed amid productive negotiations with trading partners. Furniture stocks responded to the news, with RH (RH), Wayfair (W) and MillerKnoll (MLKN) each rising about 2%, and Williams-Sonoma (WSM) adding 1%.

Baidu Shares Soar on Spinoff of AI Chip Unit

Baidu (BIDU) shares are surging after the Chinese tech giant announced it WOULD spin off its artificial intelligence (AI) chip unit. Baidu said that it has applied for a listing on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange for its  Kunlunxin AI chip unit. The announcement didn’t provide details about the size of the proposed offering. Baidu is China’s leading search engine and the company is sometimes compared to Google. Baidu's U.S.-listed shares were up 10% in recent premarket trading, after rising more than 50% in 2025.

Gold and Silver Resume Climb After Recent Stumble

Gold and silver futures are rising as precious metals look to resume their climb after setting several new record highs in recent weeks. Silver futures were up 4% at $73.45 an ounce, while gold rose 1.4% to $4,400 per ounce. Gold and silver prices slid last week after the CME Group twice raised the margin requirements for the precious metals, requiring traders to put up more cash upfront. Precious metals serve as a SAFE haven investment amid economic and geopolitical uncertainty.