Summary
- Market roundup for Monday cites trader inaction amid quiet economic calendar and limited news, allowing participants to consolidate previous moves.
- Bitcoin remains shy of ATH but holds slight gains, while Gold drops amid the firmer U.S. Dollar.
- Weekend news questioned market’s previously dovish Fed bias, boosting the U.S. Dollar amid a reassessment of key risk drivers.
- Pro-crypto news pushed BTC to a four-week high, but profit-booking capped gains without any major setbacks.
- Lack of major earnings and data supports a firmer U.S. Dollar (Greenback), likely keeping Bitcoin and Gold under pressure.
Market Roundup for Monday: Anxiety Ahead of The Key Week
The U.S. markets started the trading week quietly as Japan’s holiday and a light global calendar limited momentum despite major weekend trade and political developments.
Bitcoin (BTC) gained 0.70% intraday to $120K, despite retreating from its one-month top and missing a new all-time high (ATH), whereas the spot gold price (XAU) drops over 1.0% on the day to $3,345, marking the biggest daily loss of August.
Meanwhile, the US Dollar Index (DXY) defends Friday’s rebound with mild gains around 98.60. Further, WTI crude oil snaps a seven-day losing streak, but the Wall Street benchmarks remain dicey during early Monday morning in the U.S.
Growing tensions between Russia and the U.S. dominated weekend headlines, with the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) and Financial Times (FT) citing Moscow’s refusal to bow to U.S. pressure ahead of the meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
FT noted Putin wants to keep dialogue open but has no intention of ending the war soon, while WSJ said he told U.S. envoy U.S. Witkoff he would agree to a cease-fire only if Ukraine withdrew forces from all of Eastern Donetsk.
In the Middle East, Iran blocked International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspections after recent strikes and demanded new terms, adding to tensions as Trump pushes for total denuclearization of North Korea and Iran.
Fears of Israel’s full takeover of Gaza persisted, with a U.S. Defense official confirming readiness to activate part of the Washington D.C. National Guard if ordered by Trump.
On the trade front, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Nikkei Asia the U.S. aims to conclude trade deals with Canada, Mexico, and Switzerland by October to offset the impact of new duties.
Reuters reported Washington is considering secondary sanctions and steep tariffs on countries importing Russian crude, including India, China, and Brazil, having imposed 50% tariffs on India last week. Trump further pressed China to increase the imports of U.S. soybeans by four times to have favorable trade terms.
During the weekend, China’s Producer Price Index (PPI) fell more than expected while Consumer Price Index (CPI) was almost flat, flagging economic fears. On a different page, China South City was pushed towards liquidation, making it the largest property developer by assets to collapse since China Evergrande Group and trimming the market’s optimism about Beijing’s real-estate sector.
IIn corporate news, FT reported Nvidia and AMD will give 15% of China chip sales revenue to the U.S. for export licenses, though tech sentiment held firm.
Policy signals remained mixed. U.S. Federal Reserve Governor Michelle Bowman added to dovish comments weighing on the Dollar during early Monday. However, Fed’s Musalem sounded slightly hawkish and allowed the greenback to reverse previous losses, as well as rise further, especially ahead of this week’s U.S. inflation data.
Crypto Universe News
Weekend news on Ukraine, El Salvador, and pro-crypto firms gave top cryptocurrencies a strong start, but a rebounding U.S. Dollar and cautious market ahead of the U.S. Consumer Price Index (CPI) pulled Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) back later.
El Salvador once again proved itself the true crypto market leader by approving the world’s first Bitcoin investment banks. President Nayib Bukele’s government approved BTC investment banks and became the world’s first regulatory framework for financial institutions catering to clients focused on cryptocurrencies.
Also read: El Salvador Doubles Down: World’s First Bitcoin Investment Banks Approved
The National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) Governor Andriy Pyshnyy crossed wires during the weekend while citing the need to adopt a legal framework for virtual assets guided by the Markets in Crypto Assets (MiCA) directive and European Union regulations. The policymaker, however, sounded cautious, while suggesting a prohibition of crypto usage as payment while developing Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs).
Also read: Ukraine’s Central Bank Governor Wants Crypto Legalization- But Draws a Red Line
Meanwhile, Michael Saylor-led Strategy (previously MicroStrategy) announced additional accumulation of Bitcoin (BTC) in their treasury reserve. The news said that Strategy has recently acquired 155 BTC for approximately $18 million, averaging around $116,401 per bitcoin. With this, Strategy achieved a stellar 25% Bitcoin yield year-to-date in 2025.
Furthermore, SharpLink raised $400 million through a direct offering with five major global investors to propel its Ethereum Treasury. The recent funds join an unused $200 million ATM facility and nearly 600,000 ETH already in its wallet to propel the ETH treasury to exceed $3 billion.
Elsewhere, a Nasdaq-listed firm, BNC (CEA industries’ treasury arm), announced its $160 million Binance Coin (BNB) purchase, making it the biggest corporate holder of the BNB. The firm also unveiled its intentions to grow its treasury to $1.25 billion.
Also read: Nasdaq-Listed BNC Becomes Largest Corporate BNB Holder With $160M Purchase
- Gold drops the most in the current month, down 1.57% intraday to $3,35 by the press time.
- Bitcoin (BTC) retreats from a one-month high, up 0.70% on a day near $120K at the latest.
- Ethereum (ETH) hovers around a multi-year high, mildly bid near $4,285 after rising to the highest since late 2021.
- U.S. Dollar Index (DXY) edges higher, keeping Friday’s corrective bounce near 98.60.
- Wall Street Benchmarks Trade Mixed: Having witnessed modest gains the previous day, Wall Street benchmarks trade mixed during the initial hours, following a slightly upbeat performance of stocks in European shares.
- WTI Crude Oil snaps seven-day losing streak, bouncing off two-month low of $63.80 at the latest.
Nothing major ahead…
With a light calendar and tepid news flow, Monday’s trading activity could remain dull. However, focus will be on the Trump-Putin meeting, the U.S.-China tariff extension, and Israel’s moves in Gaza for fresh direction.
The sluggish markets could allow the U.S. Dollar to remain firmer, especially if the U.S. equities trade mixed and the market players reassess the dovish Federal Reserve (Fed) bias.
Also, any positives surrounding the U.S. trade and political stance, or the Russia-Ukraine peace, could further lift the Dollar, pressuring Gold and crude oil.
Meanwhile, the cryptocurrencies could stay firm, backed by the global demand for digital reserves and the Trump administration’s favorable stance toward the sector.
