STORY: From teetering U.S. and European relations... to a tense first Fed meeting of the year... these are the stories to watch in business and finance in the coming week.
:: Greenland tension
As tensions ease between U.S. President Donald Trump and Europe over Greenland, markets will be hoping for continued de-escalation... with the notable exception of gold investors and weapons firms.
Markets are eager to see more details about a "framework deal" the U.S. and NATO struck, and for Trump's Greenland threats to stay safely out of his social media feed.
It could help bring world stock markets back to record highs and put the brakes on gold's seemingly unstoppable run.
:: The Fed's first meeting
:: File
The Federal Reserve is widely expected to hold steady at its latest interest rate-setting meeting Wednesday.
This will be the first time Chair Jerome Powell holds a Fed press conference since this month's revelations that the Trump administration launched an investigation into his multi-billion dollar refurbishment of the central bank's headquarters.
Powell has slammed the move as a "pretext" to try to gain more influence over interest rates.
It also adds to the other two key subplots in the Fed feud - the Supreme Court's case over Trump's bid to fire governor Lisa Cook and his still-to-be-announced decision on who takes over from Powell in May.
:: The Magnificent Seven
Four of the "Magnificent Seven" U.S. tech giants report earnings, with Microsoft, Apple, Meta, and Tesla scheduled to post results.
The key for many will be to what extent their massive AI spending is paying off, some of which is funded increasingly by debt.
And it's no longer enough to just beat forecasts. The Mag 7 may find shareholders want even more magnificence in order to feel comfortable about the stocks' stratospheric valuations.
