Sanhe Market experiences intense fluctuations! The Japanese Yen depreciates by 157 to a new low. Can Bitcoin hold its ground?

Market hints revealed before opening, risk assets generally warming up

Before the opening of the US stock market on December 19, the futures market experienced gains. As of 5:00 AM Eastern Time, the Dow Jones futures rose by 0.14%, the S&P 500 futures increased by 0.33%, and the Nasdaq 100 futures grew by 0.43%. Tech stocks led the rally, with NVIDIA(NVDA) up 1.36%, Tesla(TSLA) climbing 1.13%, and Oracle(ORCL) performing strongly with a 5.95% increase, driven by rumors of TikTok negotiations and OpenAI funding.

Bank of Japan raises interest rates by 25 basis points, yen weakens to 157

The Bank of Japan raised interest rates by 25 basis points as expected, setting the benchmark rate at 0.75%, reaching a new high since 1995. However, Governor Ueda Kazuo provided little guidance on the future pace of rate hikes, disappointing market expectations of a hawkish stance. As a result, USD/JPY surged by 1.05%, quoting at 157.09, with the yen depreciating significantly.

Historic “Triple Witch Day” arrives, $7.1 trillion in options set to expire

Today marks the significant event “Triple Witch Day.” According to Goldman Sachs estimates, options contracts with a nominal value exceeding $7.1 trillion will expire today, reaching record highs, with about $5 trillion linked to the S&P 500 index. Such concentrated expirations often boost trading volume and volatility, with market participants closely watching the S&P 500 level at 6800 points.

Cryptocurrency surges, Bitcoin not far from new high

Benefiting from increased risk appetite, the crypto market rebounded collectively. At press time, Bitcoin(BTC) is quoted at $91,160, up 1.30% in the past 24 hours. Ethereum(ETH) also performed well, priced at $3,140, with a 0.97% increase over 24 hours. Attention is needed as approximately $23 billion worth of Bitcoin options contracts will expire next Friday, potentially intensifying market volatility.

Precious metals sector diverges, capital flows quietly shifting

The performance of precious metals shows clear divergence. Platinum and palladium continue their upward trend, rising for the seventh consecutive day, with platinum up 0.66% to $1,962 per ounce. In contrast, gold remains near its all-time high, fluctuating slightly lower. Analysts believe some funds are shifting from high-priced gold to undervalued and more flexible platinum and palladium sectors, resulting in a reallocation of capital.