People celebrate the New Year at the Juyongguan section of the Great Wall, also known as Juyong Pass, in Beijing, China, January 1, 2026.
Maxim Shemetov Reuters
Asia-Pacific markets were mostly lower on Monday as investors weighed the Trump administration’s threat to Greenland over the weekend and focused on key economic data from China.
US President Donald Trump and European leaders exchanged tense rhetoric over the Arctic territory over the weekend, with Trump threatening to impose tariffs on eight European countries and demanding control of Greenland, which is part of Denmark.
European leaders responded by calling the threat “totally wrong” and “unacceptable”.
In Asia, China will release its fourth-quarter GDP numbers, along with December figures for retail sales, urban investment and industrial output.
Hong Kong Hang Seng index futures were at 26,640, down from the HSI’s last close of 26,844.96.
of Japan Nikkei 225 It lost 0.85%, leading losses in Asia, while the Topix fell 0.46%.
South Korean markets followed the broader trend Kospi Up 0.18%, while Kosdaq small cap fell 0.15%.
Australian S&P/ASX 200 started the day down 0.19%.
Friday in the US S&P 500 while it just ended flat down and posted a losing week Nasdaq Composite also decreased by 0.06%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average decreased by 0.17%.
All three major indexes hit session lows after Trump said at the White House on Friday that he wants National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett to remain in his current role. may not be selected To be the next chairman of the US Fed.
Hassett has been seen as a more market-friendly option to replace the current Fed chairman than the new candidate, former Fed Governor Kevin Warsh, and is expected to be more willing to keep rates low.
— CNBC’s Sean Conlon and Pia Singh contributed to this report.