Bitcoin edged higher toward $89,000 in early Asia trade as investors watched a choppy regional open, then turned their attention to a packed run of US earnings and fresh talk of more funding for OpenAI.
Crypto market depth stayed thin. Spot bitcoin ETFs barely drew fresh money after heavy redemptions last week, and derivatives positioning eased, a combination that has kept traders leaning toward short-term ranges rather than big directional bets.
Equities sent a mixed signal across mainland China. The Shanghai benchmark rose 0.21%, and the DJ Shanghai index gained 0.22%. The SZSE Component slipped 0.10% and China A50 fell 0.20%.
Market snapshot
- Bitcoin: $89,158, up 0.7%
- Ether: $3,007, up 2.5%
- XRP: $1.90, down 0.6%
- Total crypto market cap: $3.10 trillion, up 0.7%
Hong Kong Rallies As Mainland China Sends Mixed Signals
Hong Kong stood out on the upside. The Hang Seng added 1.22%, riding a broader bid for risk that also showed up in pockets of Asia even as mainland gauges moved in different directions.
US equity-index futures extended gains after the Wall Street Journal reported SoftBank is in talks to invest up to $30B more in OpenAI.
Currency markets stayed restless as the dollar remained under pressure, with traders keeping a close eye on Washington’s policy signals and the Federal Reserve’s next steps.
BREAKING: GOLD HITS NEW ATH OF $5.2K/OZ pic.twitter.com/0nL0vs6OcV
— DEGEN NEWS (@DegenerateNews) January 28, 2026
Markets Look Ahead To Big Tech Results And Fed Decision
Gold kept its safe-haven momentum. Prices pushed above $5,200 an ounce to a fresh record, extending a rally that traders have treated as a hedge against economic uncertainty and geopolitical risk.
On Wall Street, the S&P 500 scraped out a record close on Tuesday for a fifth straight gain, as investors positioned for results from megacap tech names and weighed a sharp sell-off in health insurers.
UnitedHealth led the slide after the Trump administration proposed changes to Medicare-related payment rates, and peers also came under pressure, adding a new fault line for investors heading into the busiest stretch of the reporting season.
Markets now face the next set of catalysts, with more big-tech earnings due and the Fed decision on Wednesday, and crypto traders watching for any pickup in ETF inflows and futures activity that could give bitcoin a clearer push out of its recent range.
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