Global markets are rattled after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened new tariffs on eight European countries over Greenland, sending the euro to a seven-week low and raising concerns about renewed transatlantic trade tensions.
Trump announced that a 10% import tariff would hit goods from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Finland and Britain from February 1, rising to 25% from June 1 unless the U.S. is allowed to buy Greenland.
Major EU states condemned the threats as blackmail. France is pushing to activate the bloc’s Anti-Coercion Instrument, which could limit U.S. access to public tenders, investments, or trade in services.
As Asian markets opened, the euro fell 0.2% to $1.1572, its lowest since November, while sterling dipped and the yen strengthened against the dollar.
"Hopes that the tariff situation has calmed down for this year have been dashed," said Berenberg chief economist Holger Schmieding.
Capital Economics estimates a 10% tariff could reduce UK and German GDP by 0.1%, while a 25% tariff might shave 0.2–0.3% off output. European stocks remain near record highs, with defence shares up nearly 15% this month amid rising geopolitical tensions.
Safe-haven gold stayed near record highs, while bitcoin remained stable at around $95,330. Analysts warned that escalation could pressure the dollar and global tech valuations if investors repatriate capital to Europe.
"This is more a weaponization of capital than trade flows, and it could be highly disruptive," said Deutsche Bank FX chief George Saravelos.
Trump’s move comes as the EU signs a free trade deal with Mercosur and as other global hot spots, including Iran and U.S. Fed tensions, add uncertainty to markets.
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Fears of the end of the West, to paraphrase Mark Twain, may be premature. But they might not be premature for long.
The White House says a meeting between Vice President JD Vance and Danish officials over Greenland was "productive."
President Donald Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, announced on Wednesday the launch of phase two of the Gaza plan, which includes the establishment of a technocratic Palestinian administration in the enclave.
The U.S. and UK are reducing personnel at Qatar’s Al-Udeid air base as President Donald Trump weighs possible action against Iran over its violent crackdown on protesters.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Saturday (17 January) that concerns over security in Greenland should be addressed within the framework of NATO, describing a ground military intervention as highly unlikely.
Ashley St. Clair, mother of one of Elon Musk’s children, has filed a lawsuit against Musk’s company xAI, alleging that its AI tool Grok generated explicit images of her, including one portraying her as underage.
Egypt and Sudan have welcomed an offer by U.S. President Donald Trump to restart mediation with Ethiopia in a bid to resolve the long-running dispute over Nile River water sharing.
Elon Musk is seeking up to $134 billion from OpenAI and Microsoft, arguing that the companies profited unfairly from his early support of the artificial intelligence firm, according to a court filing made public on Friday.
Poland plans to expand its armed forces to 500,000 by 2039, including 300,000 active-duty troops and 200,000 reservists, officials said Friday. The enlarged force would feature a new high-readiness reserve unit.
Hong Kong and Shanghai will sign a memorandum of understanding next week to establish a cross-border gold trade clearing system, a move aimed at boosting Hong Kong’s role as an international gold trading hub, Financial Secretary Paul Chan said.
Elon Musk is seeking up to $134 billion from OpenAI and Microsoft, arguing that the companies profited unfairly from his early support of the artificial intelligence firm, according to a court filing made public on Friday.
The UK economy grew more strongly than expected in November, according to official figures, offering signs of resilience after months of weak performance.
China recorded the world’s largest-ever trade surplus in 2025, reaching $1.2 trillion as exporters shifted focus away from the U.S. amid ongoing trade tensions.
A coalition of women’s rights organisations, technology watchdogs and progressive campaigners is urging Apple and Google, owned by Alphabet, to remove the social media platform X and its associated chatbot, Grok, from their app stores.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
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