On Friday, January 3, 2026, U.S. equities exhibited a mixed performance at the close of trading. The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 0.66%, while the S&P 500 eked out a modest 0.19% gain. In contrast, the Nasdaq Composite Index experienced a slight downturn, slipping 0.03%. Among individual stocks, Nvidia saw its shares rise by over 1%, and Micron Technology enjoyed a remarkable surge, exceeding 10%. Conversely, Microsoft and Tesla both witnessed declines exceeding 2%. The Nasdaq Golden Dragon China Index, however, shone brightly, closing up 4.36%, propelled by significant gains in constituents such as Baidu, NetEase Youdao, and Canaan Inc.

Turning to the commodity markets, U.S. natural gas futures took a tumble, falling more than 3%. Gold prices encountered downward pressure, although spot gold managed to edge higher. Meanwhile, the cryptocurrency market continued its upward trajectory, with Bitcoin soaring past the $90,000 mark.

On January 4, the Hong Kong stock market kicked off with the Hang Seng Index opening 0.41% lower. The Hang Seng Tech Index followed suit, declining 0.28%, and the H-shares Index also experienced a 0.3% drop. Chip stocks, however, bucked the trend, opening on a positive note, while tech stocks presented a mixed picture. In the A-share market, the STAR Market took the lead in gains, with the semiconductor sector emerging as the primary driver. The entire industry witnessed broad-based gains, and the theme of domestic substitution remained robust.