At 00:25, Bitcoin fell $2,000 in minutes to $86,888 on Coinbase after over $360 million in leveraged longs were liquidated, a 9% slide over 48 hours. Gold futures reached $4,820, edging toward $5,000. U.S. stocks posted their worst day since October 10, while futures later showed modest gains.

Last week, CNBC vice president of news Jason Gewirtz received a phone call from a San Francisco area code by a man claiming to be Coinbase security, who alleged his account was under attack from Germany. The caller used realistic emails, personal data, and pressure tactics to push him into setting up a so-called Coinbase hard wallet and avoid changing passwords, but Gewirtz later confirmed via an AI chatbot and Coinbase that it was a phishing scam. Coinbase and recovery firm ZeroShadow warn that AI-powered impersonation schemes are rising sharply and emphasize that users should be wary of any request to move funds for "protection."

If Donald Trump were to die suddenly or be removed from office, analysts suggest crypto markets could see rapid sell-offs, with altcoins and leveraged positions hit hardest. Under the 25th Amendment, JD Vance would immediately assume the presidency if Trump dies or is removed after conviction, and traders would watch closely for signals that he will maintain Trump-era crypto, SEC, DOJ, and U.S. Bitcoin reserve policies. Market recovery would likely depend on how quickly and clearly the new White House commits to policy continuity and regulatory posture toward digital assets.

On January 20, 2026 at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei warned that permitting exports of Nvidia’s H200 AI chips to China poses a grave security risk, likening it to selling nuclear weapons to North Korea. His remarks followed a U.S. policy shift easing chip-export curbs, as Nvidia and AMD target Chinese demand amid bullish revenue forecasts.

Gold surged from $4,690 to a new all-time high of $4,735, trading above $4,730 with a +8.9% gain year-to-date and +80% over the past year. In contrast, Bitcoin fell below $92,000 and remains weaker, with only a +4.90% increase year-to-date after showing strength in early January. The move highlights a strong performance gap between the precious metal and the leading cryptocurrency.

Over the last four months, India imported $5.9 billion of silver, a 400% rise versus Q4 2024 and 64% above the 2022 peak. Spot silver set a record at $94.61 an ounce, while MCX futures climbed 5.5% to ₹3.03 lakh per kg. ETF assets expanded to ₹72,907.44 crore by December 2025.

On January 19, 2026, analysis showed Europe holds about $12.6 trillion in US assets, exceeding the combined holdings of the rest of the world, yet most of this capital is in private hands and cannot be directly used as a policy weapon. EU policymakers are instead weighing options such as delaying a July trade deal and imposing around €93 billion in retaliatory tariffs, as strategists warn that any forced sell-off of US assets would damage Europe and face serious absorption limits in alternative markets.

Russia's ruble has surged about 45% against the dollar since early last year and recently traded near 78 per dollar, but that strength is emerging alongside a deepening budget squeeze. The government held its 2025 deficit at 2.6% of GDP by cutting December spending 19% as oil and gas income fell to a five‑year low and annual energy revenue dropped 24%, while sanctions and high rates forced the Finance Ministry to boost daily foreign‑exchange sales. Despite heavy intervention and tighter policy, economic growth likely slipped below 1%, and analysts expect the ruble could weaken again over the next year.

On January 19, 2026, South Korea’s won was reported to have fallen about 2.5% against the US dollar, making it Asia’s worst-performing currency as USD/KRW hovered near 1,472.8. Over the same period, Bitcoin traded at a premium of 2.49% on Korean exchanges versus global platforms, signaling stronger local demand and aligning with key price levels around $25,200 and resistance near $28,754.40.