Stock markets slid in Asia on Monday after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to slap extra tariffs on eight European nations until the U.S. was allowed to buy Greenland, pushing the dollar down against the safe-haven yen and Swiss franc.
Gold and silver both jumped to all-time highs, while oil flatlined on concerns about what a possible trade war between the U.S. and Europe could mean for global growth and demand.
A holiday in U.S. equity and bond markets made for thin trading and probably contributed to a 0.8% drop in S&P 500 futures , and a 1.1% fall in Nasdaq futures .
For Europe, EUROSTOXX 50 futures and DAX futures both shed 1.1%, while FTSE futures lost 0.4%. Japan's Nikkei (.N225), opens new tab fell 0.8%, and MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan (.MIAPJ0000PUS), opens new tab dipped 0.1%.
Trump said he would impose additional 10% import levies from February 1 on goods from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Finland and Britain, rising to 25% on June 1 if no deal was reached.
Major European Union states condemned the tariff threats over Greenland as blackmail, and France proposed responding with a range of previously untested economic countermeasures.
The EU's options include a package of its own tariffs on 93 billion euros ($108 billion) of U.S. imports that was suspended for six months in early August, and measures under an Anti-Coercion Instrument that could hit U.S. services trade or investments.
Analysts at Deutsche Bank noted European countries owned $8 trillion of U.S. bonds and equities, almost twice as much as the rest of the world combined, and might consider bringing some of that money back home.
"With the U.S. net international investment position at record negative extremes, the mutual interdependence of European-U.S. financial markets has never been higher," said George Saravelos, Deutsche's global head of FX research.
"It is a weaponisation of capital rather than trade flows that would by far be the most disruptive to markets."
It should also make for a fraught few days at Davos as leaders from around the world gather in Switzerland at the World Economic Forum, including a large U.S. group led by Trump himself.
Chinese blue chips (.CSI300), opens new tab eased 0.2% as data showed annual economic growth slowed to 4.5% in the December quarter, though that still topped forecasts.
Industrial output also beat the market thanks to strength in exports, but disappointing retail sales underlined the continued weakness of domestic demand. The Bank of Japan meets on Friday and, while no rate hike is expected this time, policymakers could flag a tightening as soon as April.
One added wrinkle is domestic politics given Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is expected to soon dissolve parliament to allow for an election in February. Delayed data on U.S. core inflation and consumption for November are due on Thursday and will refine investor expectations for when the Federal Reserve might cut again
