February 6, 2026, Global risk assets faced an intense wave of selling. During early Asian trading on Friday, Bitcoin accelerated its decline and fluctuated near the USD 60,000 level, plunging as much as 12% on the day to a new 16-month low. Despite prior commitments by the current administration to strengthen U.S. influence in the digital space, market observers noted that once the critical psychological support at USD 70,000 was breached, policy tailwinds were no longer sufficient to offset the mounting deleveraging pressure.
Spot gold fell nearly 4% to USD 4,703.89 per ounce, while silver plunged 12.1% to USD 67.36. This reflects a large-scale unwinding of long positions as easing geopolitical tensions and a stronger U.S. dollar combined to push investors to cover substantial losses in cryptocurrencies and equities. Market conditions remain extremely fragile, and the liquidation of risk assets may further spread into real-economy expectations.
Asset Performance and Fundamental Analysis
1. U.S. Equity Market
Index Performance
- Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJI): 48,908.72, down 1.20% intraday.
- S&P 500 Index (SP500): 6,756.68, down 0.21% intraday.
- Nasdaq 100 Index (NQ1): 24,301.00, down 1.42%.
Stock Spotlight
- Apple (AAPL): USD 275.91, down 0.21%. The stock remained relatively resilient versus the broader indices, as heightened market volatility drove capital toward defensive assets with strong cash flows.
2. Foreign Exchange Market
- U.S. Dollar Index (DXY): 97.946, up 0.31% intraday. The dollar has recently regained upward momentum, with markets repricing the return of a “strong dollar cycle.”
- USD/JPY: 156.755, down 0.17%. Although the yen saw a modest rebound, depreciation pressure persists amid a wide U.S.–Japan yield differential, keeping the pair in a high-level consolidation range.
- EUR/USD: 1.17729, down 0.03%. The euro continues to hover near key psychological levels, constrained by lackluster eurozone fundamentals and renewed dollar strength.
3. Precious Metals and Commodities
Precious Metals
- Spot Gold (XAUUSD): Approximately USD 4,715 per ounce. Under dual pressure from a stronger dollar and rising nominal rate expectations, gold faced pronounced technical selling near recent record highs, with safe-haven inflows temporarily retreating.
- Spot Silver (XAGUSD): USD 67.90 per ounce. Given its dual industrial and financial attributes, silver’s volatility has been significantly higher than gold amid concerns over economic prospects and tighter liquidity.
Commodities
- Crude Oil (XTIUSD): USD 62.68 per barrel, down 0.76%. Despite ongoing geopolitical uncertainties, dollar strength and weakening global demand expectations have pushed oil prices into a consolidation phase above the USD 60 level.
4. Crypto Assets and Macro Developments
- Bitcoin (BTCUSD): USD 61,281. As market liquidity expectations shifted, BTC experienced a notable pullback.
- Ethereum (ETHUSD): USD 1,786.8, down 2.02%. ETH continued to underperform, reflecting sustained weakness during the broader macro liquidity withdrawal.
5. Today’s Focus
- Canada January Employment Change
- Canada January Unemployment Rate
- Canada January Ivey Manufacturing PMI
- U.S. February University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment (Preliminary)
- U.S. February University of Michigan 1-Year Inflation Expectations (Preliminary)
