Asia-Pacific markets set for lower open as investors assess Greenland developments, await key China data

Market Overview - Asia-Pacific markets mostly declined as investors reacted to geopolitical tensions involving the Trump administration's threats toward Greenland and anticipated key economic data from China [1][2] - The Hong Kong Hang Seng index futures were at 26,640, lower than the last close of 26,844.96, while Japan's Nikkei 225 fell by 0.85% and the Topix decreased by 0.46% [3] - South Korea's Kospi bucked the trend with a slight increase of 0.18%, while the small cap Kosdaq dropped by 0.15% [3] - Australia's S&P/ASX 200 started the day 0.19% lower [3] Economic Data - China is set to release its fourth-quarter GDP numbers along with December figures for retail sales, urban investment, and industrial output, which are critical for assessing economic performance [2] Commodity Prices - Both silver and gold prices reached record highs, with silver up over 4.17% to $93.7 per ounce and gold trading 1.8% higher at $4,676.94 per ounce [4] U.S. Market Performance - The S&P 500 ended just below the flatline, marking a losing week, while the Nasdaq Composite inched down by 0.06% and the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell by 0.17% [4] - The major indexes hit session lows following comments from President Trump regarding the potential Fed chair nomination, which affected market sentiment [5]