Trump has said that if talks with Iran fail, he may send a second aircraft carrier to the Middle East, He expects the second round of US-Iran negotiations to take place next week and emphasized that either an agreement will be reached or strong action will be necessary, An Axios reporter noted that this move is part of preparations for any potential military action.

The US December retail sales report did not grow as expected and remained unchanged month-on-month, while the market had anticipated an increase of about 0.4 percent, The control group, which is the basis for calculating consumption in GDP, also fell 0.1 percent, showing weaker consumer momentum at the end of the year, Declines in sectors such as clothing, furniture, and autos were the main drivers of this performance, while signs of cost-of-living pressures and weak discretionary spending, especially among low-income households, were observed, Economists expect that tax refunds and wealth effects in early 2026 will partly support consumer demand despite this weakness.

The US January employment report is expected to provide a clearer picture of the actual pace of labor market slowdown and likely, with annual revisions, show that hiring was significantly slower than previous estimates, Preliminary estimates indicate a major downward adjustment in last year’s employment data, which could change the Federal Reserve’s view of the labor market and the path of interest rates, Economists expect monthly job growth of about 69,000 and an unemployment rate holding around 4.4 percent, indicating labor market weakness.

BCA Research has warned that yen carry trades could become a "ticking time bomb" and unwind suddenly if market conditions change, In this strategy, investors borrow low-yielding yen to buy higher-yielding assets abroad, but if risky assets fall or the yen strengthens, the trade reverses quickly, Analysts have highlighted the possibility of a shock similar to 2008, 2015, and 2020 and recommend that medium- and long-term investors take long positions in yen against the dollar, Given the potential for a Bank of Japan rate hike and recent yen gains, if the currency begins to strengthen, a broad unwind of carry trades could cause a significant yen surge.