There is ongoing mega accumulation of Ethereum (ETH) by whales within the crypto ecosystem. According to data from the crypto analytics platform Lookonchain, a whale with the wallet address "0xAA15" withdrew a total of 5,762 ETH worth approximately $15.06 million from Binance earlier today. Overall, this whale has bought a total of 50,733 ETH $99.2 million at an average price of $1,955 since Sept. 19, 2023.

Record crude output from the top U.S. oilfield and busy crude pipelines to export hubs are boosting the price of the country's flagship crude at the Gulf Coast, analysts and traders said.

West Texas Intermediate crude at Magellan's East Houston terminal (MEH), on average this month traded at a 45-cent premium per barrel to its price at Midland, Texas, the price point closest to the actual production of WTI.

Gold prices rose slightly on Thursday, steadying from a sharp tumble this week as strong U.S. data spurred increasing doubts over early interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve.

The yellow metal wiped out most gains made through December, and came close to breaking below the coveted $2,000 an ounce level as the dollar and Treasury yields rebounded this week.

The dollar index climbed for a fifth straight session on Thursday after labor market data showed job growth, keeping expectations for an interest rate cut from the Federal Reserve in check.

Initial claims for state unemployment benefits dropped 16,000 to a seasonally adjusted 187,000 for the week ended Jan. 13, the lowest level since September 2022, the Labor Department said on Thursday, short of the 207,000 expectation of economists polled by Reuters.

Gold prices fell slightly on Tuesday after a strong run-up in recent sessions, while a rebound in the dollar also pressured prices ahead of more upcoming economic data and signals from the Federal Reserve.

The yellow metal benefited from increased safe-haven demand in recent sessions, amid an escalation in military action in the Middle East. A softer dollar also benefited bullion prices.

Cryptocurrency trading firm QCP Capital has projected that Ethereum (ETH) may outshine Bitcoin (BTC) in the medium term. This outlook is based on market anticipation of a U.S.-approved Ethereum spot Exchange-Traded Fund (ETF), a development that could follow the recent approval of a Bitcoin spot ETF.

The U.S. dollar traded in a muted fashion in early European trade Monday, with a U.S. holiday limiting activity as traders consider the chances of early rate cuts by the Federal Reserve.

At 04:35 ET (09:35 GMT), the Dollar Index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of six other currencies, traded 0.1% higher at 102.242, at the start of the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday.

Gold prices fell in Asian trade on Wednesday, relinquishing a measure of recent gains as the dollar rebounded amid some uncertainty over the timing of the Federal Reserve’s interest rate cuts in 2024. 

The yellow metal saw a strong run-up in the final few trading days of 2023, amid growing optimism that the Fed will begin cutting rates by as soon as March 2024. Spot gold was still trading within $100 of a record high hit at the beginning of December. 

Oil prices surged higher Tuesday, bouncing after hefty losses in 2023 on rising concerns of supply disruptions through the crucial Red Sea region.

By 09:20 ET (14.20 GMT), the U.S. crude futures traded 1.4% higher at $72.33 a barrel and the Brent contract climbed 1% to $77.78 a barrel.

The U.S. dollar edged higher in early European trade Tuesday ahead of this week’s key economic data that may provide clues on the Federal Reserve's next moves.

At 04:00 ET (09:00 GMT), the US Dollar Index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of six other currencies, traded 0.1% higher at 101.125, recovering slightly from a five-month low after the greenback slid some 2% in 2023.