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Opening with strength, precious metals usher in a new year with a significant rally
On the first trading day of 2026, the precious metals market demonstrated vibrant vitality. On Friday morning, spot gold opened strongly, with gold prices in Asian trading reaching as high as around $4,353 per ounce, with a single-day increase of nearly $35. Simultaneously, the silver market also gained momentum, with silver prices soaring to $73.00 per ounce, an intraday increase of about 2%. In addition, palladium and platinum also performed well, each recording nearly 2% gains.
This start-of-the-year rally is no coincidence. According to Bloomberg, gold and silver achieved their best annual performance since 1979 in 2025, and this strong momentum continued into the new year's trading. The US dollar index slightly declined by 0.1%, and the weakening dollar provided strong support for precious metals.
Historical context vs. recent outlook, the opportunities in the high gold and silver era
Currently, gold and silver prices are at historic highs, which in itself reflects the market's outlook on monetary policy and assets

Why do traders need to understand currency symbols?
As a forex trader, quickly recognizing the currency symbols of different countries is an essential skill. When you scan through currency pairs like EUR/USD or GBP/JPY on trading software, being able to immediately identify what € and £ represent allows for faster market response. In simple terms, currency symbols are a form of visual shorthand that let you instantly know which country's currency you're dealing with.
Compared to writing "40 USD," writing "$40" is obviously faster and clearer. In fast-paced trading scenarios where every second counts, this efficiency difference can make a real difference.
Global Currency Symbols Overview
The table below covers major trading markets' currencies and their symbols:
| Region | Country | Currency Name | Code | Symbol |
|--------|---------|--------------|-------|--------|
| Americas |

If you want to make money in the Taiwan stock market, the first thing you need to understand is what the "market index" is. Many novice investors watch the ups and downs of the market index but don't really know what it actually represents, nor how much it influences their investment decisions. Today, let's take an in-depth look at the Taiwan stock market index and how to use it for investing.
The market index is essentially the "thermometer" of the Taiwan stock market.
The Taiwan Stock Exchange's weighted stock index, commonly known as the Taiwan Weighted Index or simply the Index, is fundamentally a tool used to measure the pulse of the entire Taiwan stock market. It reflects the overall performance of all listed stocks in Taiwan, including leading companies like TSMC.
Simply put, when someone asks "How's the Taiwan stock market lately?", they are referring to whether this index is rising or falling. The key to understanding why an index can represent the entire stock market lies in its calculation logic.
The market index is essentially

Taiwan plays an important role in the AI industry, facing supply chain pressures including GPU and material shortages. Investors should focus on copper foil substrate and cooling concept stocks, which are expected to benefit from ongoing technological upgrades and demand through 2026. AI will continue to drive growth in the Taiwan stock market, and related companies' profits are expected to increase.

The platinum market has recently performed strongly, with prices continuing to hit new highs. Supply shortages and declining South African production have intensified tensions, and leasing rates have also increased. Capital is shifting from high-priced gold to relatively undervalued platinum. Analysts predict that platinum prices will reach $2,170 to $2,300 by 2026, indicating a continued optimistic outlook.

Taiwan Investors Must Know: What Time Does the US Stock Market Open in Taipei?
If you're planning to enter the US stock market from Taiwan, the first thing to understand is the time difference. Don't underestimate this detail; mixing up the times could cause you to miss trading opportunities.
Currently, the US stock market has entered the winter daylight saving time. Simply put, the regular trading hours of the US stock market converted to Taiwan time are from 10:30 PM to 5:00 AM the next day. If you're a night owl trader, this period is still manageable; but if you're used to trading during the day, you might need to adjust your schedule.
In addition to regular trading hours, the US stock market also has pre-market and after-hours trading sessions. Pre-market trading begins at 4:00 AM Eastern Time (1:30 PM Taiwan time), and after-hours trading extends until 8:00 PM (10:00 AM Taiwan time the next day). These sessions tend to have lower trading volume, less liquidity, and higher risks.
With the switch between winter and summer daylight saving time, investors need to adjust accordingly.

Recently, gold prices have experienced the largest increase in 30 years, and market enthusiasm remains high. The main driving factors include the risk aversion triggered by tariff policies, expectations of Federal Reserve rate cuts, and large-scale gold purchases by global central banks. In the long term, professional institutions remain optimistic about gold prices, while retail investors should operate cautiously, especially short-term traders who need to control risks and diversify investments. Long-term holding of gold requires a mindset prepared for more than 10 years.

Many Taiwanese investors face a common dilemma: with the New Taiwan Dollar interest rates remaining low for a long time, how can they increase returns through foreign currency assets? In fact, the threshold for foreign currency investment is not high; the key lies in choosing the right strategies and tools. This article will guide you through the complete ecosystem of foreign currency investment, from basic concepts, investment methods, currency selection, to practical operation tips, helping you find more direction in this market.
What is foreign currency investment? Understanding the basic concepts first
Before discussing foreign currency investment, it is essential to distinguish between "foreign currency" and "forex," two concepts that are often confused.
"Foreign currency" simply refers to all foreign currencies other than the domestic currency (New Taiwan Dollar), and is a type of trading target in the forex market. "Forex" is a broader concept that encompasses various assets existing in foreign currency form—bank deposits, government bonds, stocks, etc., all fall within the scope of forex.
In simple terms, foreign currency investment mainly involves buying and selling different currencies to enjoy interest income, or

Flow Foundation warns that a single deposit of approximately 150 million FLOW tokens has shaken the market, accounting for 10% of the total supply. After entering the exchange, some funds were converted into Bitcoin, quickly cashing out over $5 million, exposing vulnerabilities in the exchange's AML/KYC processes, and putting ordinary users at risk. Unusual trading activity has not received a response, further fueling public concerns.

In the ups and downs of the crypto market, on-chain data has become an important tool for insights into market trends. Currently, key indicators of Bitcoin and Ethereum reveal deep changes happening in the market. Let's understand the true significance of these changes through specific metrics.
Bitcoin's Technical Breakthrough Signals
Fifth Golden Cross Approaching
Bitcoin has just experienced its fifth Golden Cross — a noteworthy technical signal. Historical data shows that each of the previous four occurrences was accompanied by explosive gains: the first rose 87%, the second 47%, the third 78%, and the fourth 33%. Each time, it triggered significant market movements.
But why is this time worth expecting? Because beyond technical analysis, macro-level changes are underway. The 10-year to 2-year US Treasury yield spread is shifting, and liquidity pressures are easing. This is like a spring that has been heavily compressed, and the underlying

In the cryptocurrency market cycle, relying on a single price trend for judgment often becomes ineffective. This in-depth analysis based on professional on-chain analysis from [@CryptoChan](/square/profile/cryptochan), [@lookonchain](/square/profile/lookonchain), [@Glassnode](/square/profile/glassnode), will reveal the true market signals of Bitcoin and Ethereum from multiple dimensions.
Four-tier evaluation system for building positions at low ETH levels
Ethereum and Bitcoin have fundamentally different characteristics in terms of chip distribution. ETH has an unlimited total supply, a large amount of early profit chips accumulated, and relatively weaker consensus strength. This determines that entering at low levels requires more stringent confirmation conditions. Currently, ETH trading price is

The cryptocurrency market is at a turning point, with Bitcoin lagging behind gold and stocks in 2025. Despite a downturn, analysts suggest that historical cycles indicate a potential resurgence for Bitcoin in 2026, driven by changing market dynamics and investor behavior.

Lighter network recently experienced an emergency situation, with the prover unable to keep up with the sequencer's speed, leading to serious block verification delays, and the latest block being stuck for over 4 hours. This situation affects user withdrawal operations, exposing system performance bottlenecks under high load, and requires optimizing the prover's throughput to restore normal service.

In comparing JBT Marel (JBTM) and Enpro (NPO) for value investment, JBTM stands out due to stronger analyst ratings, lower forward P/E and P/B ratios, and a superior risk-return profile, making it the more attractive option.

The fundamental reasons for retail investors' losses in the stock market include lack of knowledge, psychological fluctuations, and strategic errors. Common issues include blindly entering the market, emotional decision-making, and frequent stock switching. It is recommended to mitigate risks and improve profitability by adopting low-risk strategies such as monthly stock investments, maintaining a rational mindset, and increasing knowledge reserves.

The Taiwan stock market index is the Weighted Stock Price Index, reflecting the overall market performance. It uses a market capitalization weighting method, giving larger companies a greater influence on the index, which may conceal the performance of small and medium-sized enterprises. Investors need to consider its limitations and combine it with other analytical tools to make decisions. When investing through tools like ETFs, attention should be paid to risk assessment and market trends.

Every year, there are four days when the U.S. stock market stages a grand show of the "invisible force." These four days are known as Quadruple Witching Days, which refer to the days when four major U.S. derivative financial products—single stock futures, single stock options, stock index futures, and stock index options—expire simultaneously. They fall on the third Friday of March, June, September, and December each year.
Why do Quadruple Witching Days become must-watch dates for traders?
The origin of this name may seem mysterious, but it actually stems from a simple market phenomenon: during derivatives expiration, futures prices are forced to align with spot prices, as if some "witchcraft" pulls the two to the same level. More importantly, on this day, fundamentals take a backseat, and chips and the intentions of market makers become the dominant forces driving prices.
Specifically, there is usually a price difference between futures and the spot market. As the expiration date approaches, this spread gradually narrows. Buyers anticipate

Speaking of currency exchange, Taiwanese people are most familiar with Japanese Yen. But did you know? Just choosing the right currency exchange channel can save you a lot of handling fees, and even save you several thousand dollars. Today, we will break down the four current methods of exchanging Japanese Yen, so you can understand exactly where the costs differ.
Is it really cost-effective to exchange Yen now?
As of December 10, 2025, the TWD/JPY exchange rate has risen above 4.85, up from 4.46 at the beginning of the year, an appreciation of about 8.7%. This number may not seem like much, but the actual amount saved is significant—exchanging 50,000 TWD now yields nearly 4,400 more Yen than at the start of the year, which is equivalent to an exchange gain of over NT$800.
But don't rush to exchange all at once. Currently, the Yen is in a fluctuation zone, with the Bank of Japan adopting a hawkish stance (expected to raise interest rates to 0.75% in December, a 30-year high), while the US is entering a rate-cut cycle. These factors will influence short-term exchange rates. USD/JPY from this year