With USD/CNY ending the year at around -4.27% this marks the first year since 2021 where it has ended the year in red, meaning that the Chinese Yuan has ended the year stronger than the U.S Dollar. This is a rare occurrence as the US Dollar is often seen as a better currency for investors.
Fundamentally, this makes sense with some uncertainty in U.S. politics and economics. Technically, this also makes sense as we have seen a lot of major pairs ending stronger than the dollar this year.
The U.S Dollar index remains in a consolidation range if we look at its chart, while USD/CNY is falling rapidly, meaning the YUAN is actively gaining strength and this performance could continue into 2026.
Some levels you should keep a lookout for would be 6.8965, marking a low that we are approaching, and if broken, the trend could continue. On the flip side, another level to watch is 7.0719, as this marks a recent high that could change the market dynamic in 2026 if it is broken.
When you take a look at all the advancements coming out of China, its also no surprise that the Yuan has performed so well in 2025. China is actively overtaking major companies in the car, phone, and overall tech industry. They have car companies like BAIC, FAW & SAIC, making their way around the world and gaining popularity extremely fast due to their affordability and overall quality. Xiaomi, Huawei & Honor are also out of China, and the same goes for them, good price for a quality product.
This just goes to show that the innovativeness that China has been displaying is actively increasing trade and, therefore, making the Yuan stronger than ever. If this continues into 2026, we could see new leaders in tech surfacing very soon, which would make the Yuan a much stronger currency against the rest of the majors. 55
For traders, the best bet would be to observe the DXY closely to see how the dollar is reacting to recent market volatility; this could help paint a picture of which direction USD/CNY is planning to take early in 2026.
As we get further into the year, interest rates, inflation, and trade will be major determining factors for where USD/CNY is heading. Just like we saw in 2025, where tariffs were a major factor for almost the entire first half of the year.
(Just my opinion, not financial advice)