Welcome to the U.S. crypto news morning briefing. Here are the key cryptocurrency news you need to know today, presented concisely.
Please prepare a cup of coffee. Although this year is still in the early stages, the gold market is already sending signals that existing long-term assumptions may change sooner than expected.
Today's cryptocurrency newsโฆ Goldman Sachs raises its 2026 gold price target from $4900 to $5400.
Despite having just passed the first month of 2026, Goldman Sachs is confident that the rally will continue further.
The spot price of gold is currently trading around $4,827. This is just below the all-time high of $4,888 recorded on January 21. Wall Street's major investment bank Goldman Sachs has raised its year-end gold price forecast for 2026 to $5,400 per ounce.
This revised outlook comes just weeks after the new year began. Just a month ago, market analysts and cryptocurrency critics widely cited Goldman Sachs' previous predictions.
Especially before this revision, Goldman Sachs had predicted that gold prices would reach $4,900 in 2026. This is a 10% increase within a few weeks of the investment bank's previous position.
Since then, gold prices have surged much faster than expected. As a result, institutions have had to reassess the speed and sustainability of the gold rally. This was reported in a previous US crypto news article.
According to Goldman Sachs, the driving force behind the revised outlook is the intensifying competition for limited physical gold bars.
"The reason the rally has accelerated since 2025 is that central banks have begun to compete with private investors for limited gold bars." - This was mentioned in a memo by Goldman Sachs analysts to Business Insider.
Analysts say this change shows a distinct evolution compared to 2023-2024. In 2023-2024, buying pressure from the official sector (central banks, etc.) led the rise in gold prices.
Banks predict that central banks will purchase an average of 60 tons of gold per month in 2026. This is explained as being driven by emerging countries reducing their exposure to existing fiat currencies and diversifying their reserve assets.
Analysts at Goldman Sachs, including Daan Struyven and Lina Thomas, estimate that central banks will account for most of the rise in gold prices. They expect that private sector demand will add further upward potential.
Individual investors are entering... the structural bullishness of gold continues.
The role of private investors is becoming increasingly important. Goldman Sachs has stated that three factors are highlighted as investors look for hedges against macroeconomic and geopolitical risks.
Funds are flowing into gold-based ETFs (exchange-traded funds).
Purchases of physical gold by high-net-worth individuals and families are increasing.
Demand for call options is expanding.
"Just three weeks into 2026, Goldman Sachs analysts have already raised their year-end gold price target. The reason is that the gold diversification by the private sector, which we have pointed out as a key upside risk factor, has begun to materialize." - Mentioned by Lisa Abramowicz.
Some analysts claim that precious metals are outperforming Bitcoin and crude oil, thereby justifying the optimistic outlook of banks.
As the forecasts of institutions align with the fundamentals of gold (model-based value), bullish sentiment is further strengthened.
Goldman Sachs also argued that rising gold prices will not naturally reduce demand. The report emphasized that 'high prices do not self-correct gold's high prices. New mine supply is only about 1% of the total global amount each year.'
Most of the gold is already in the market, and only transfers are taking place. The rise in XAU prices only slows down when demand weakens. In this regard, they mentioned the following.
In the event that geopolitical tensions ease
In the event that diversification of reserve assets is reduced
If the Federal Reserve shifts from rate cuts to rate hikes
Currently, these conditions do not seem to occur immediately. Gold prices have risen about 11% compared to the beginning of the year, more than doubling since early 2023.
Approaching the psychologically significant $5,000 level, Goldman Sachs' early upward adjustment suggests growing confidence among institutional investors that the structural bull market for gold is solid.
Today's chart
Today, I summarized the US cryptocurrency-related news to reference.
Demand for USDT in January has stagnated. This indicates that capital is exiting the market.
BitGo priced its IPO at $18 per share on its first day of listing on the New York Stock Exchange. This is the first major cryptocurrency listing of 2026.
The price of Bitcoin has recovered to $90,000. The BTC ETF has recorded the largest net outflow in two months.
The sentiment of individual investors in XRP has shifted from greed to extreme fear โ could this be a bullish signal?
The price of XRP is approaching $2. Ripple is expanding its corporate territory to 300 million accounts through new contracts.
Cryptocurrency stock pre-market trends
Company January 21 closing price pre-market trading overview MicroStrategy (MSTR) $163.81 $163.80 (-0.0061%) Coinbase (COIN) $226.93 $228.50 (+0.68%) Galaxy Digital Holdings (GLXY) $32.45 $32.90 (+1.39%) Marathon Holdings (MARA) $10.56 $10.68 (+1.14%) Riot Platforms (RIOT) $17.25 $17.56 (+1.80%) Core Scientific (CORZ) $18.20 $18.45 (+1.37%)
Cryptocurrency stock market opening status: Google Finance