The US dollar began 2026 stronger on Friday, snapping last year’s slump against most currencies as investors look ahead to a critical week of economic data that could steer Federal Reserve policy and global markets.

Dreams about the vast potential of artificial intelligence will collide with cold, hard reality as the Consumer Electronics Show kicks off in Las Vegas on Tuesday.

Euro zone manufacturing activity shrank further in December but Asia’s factory powerhouses closed 2025 on a firmer footing backed by a rebound in export orders and growing demand for artificial intelligence, private surveys showed.

Spot gold was steady at $4,313.29 per ounce

Trump said HieFo was "controlled by a citizen of the People's Republic of China"

BYD said that it sold 2.26 million EVs last year

The number of price increases for 2026 is up from the same point last year

The dollar typically falls when the Fed cuts rates as lower US interest rates make dollar-denominated assets less attractive to investors

Sri Lanka has been slowly emerging from its worst economic meltdown in 2022

Officials voted 9-3 to lower rates by a quarter percentage point this month

A key measure of industrial health, the manufacturing purchasing managers' index came in at 50.1 this month

Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill also gives companies a range of credits and tax breaks

US gold futures for February delivery were up 1.1 percent at $4,392.0/oz

The plan also includes a proposal to establish an international digital yuan operations centre

Shenzhen-based BYD had sold 2.07 million EVs so far in 2025

Brent crude futures settled down $1.60 or 2.57 percent to $60.64 per barrel

Spot gold was up 1.2 percent at $4,531.41 per ounce

Profits fell 13.1 percent year-on-year in November, accelerating from a 5.5 percent drop in October

Megacap tech companies have driven the S&P 500 higher in 2025

Nvidia has agreed to license technology from AI startup Groq for use in some of its artificial intelligence chips