Asia markets slip as investors assess Greenland; await China data
People celebrate the New Year with a ceremony at the Juyongguan Great Wall section, also known as Juyong Pass, in Beijing, China, on January 1, 2026.
Maxim Shemetov | Reuters
Asia-Pacific markets were mostly lower on Monday as investors assessed the Trump administration’s threats to Greenland over the weekend and looked at key economic data from China.
Over the weekend, US President Donald Trump and European leaders engaged in tense rhetoric about the Arctic region; Trump has threatened tariffs on eight European countries and demanded control of Greenland, which is part of Denmark.
European leaders responded to the threats by calling them “completely false” and “unacceptable”.
In Asia, China will release fourth-quarter GDP figures as well as December figures for retail sales, urban investment and industrial production.
Hong Kong Hang Seng index futures settled at 26,640, below the HSI’s last close of 26,844.96.
of japan Nikkei 225 It led losses in Asia, losing 0.85%, while Topix lost 0.46%.
South Korean markets bucked a broader trend. kospi It gained 0.18%, while the small stock exchange Kosdaq lost 0.15%.
Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 started the day with a 0.19% loss.
In the US on Friday, the S&P 500 closed just below the horizontal line and had a losing week, while the Nasdaq Composite lost 0.06%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.17 percent.
Three major indexes hit session lows after Trump said at the White House on Friday that he preferred National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett to remain in his current role and that he might not be chosen as the next US Fed chairman.
Hassett is seen as a more market-friendly choice to replace the current Fed chair than former Fed Governor Kevin Warsh and is expected to be more willing to keep interest rates low.
—CNBC’s Sean Conlon and Pia Singh contributed to this report.
