Trade tariffs are never far from the headlines these days, and the last week was no exception after Donald Trump announced on his way to the Super Bowl plans for a blanket 25% levy on steel and aluminium imports.
Although additional duties on UK exports to the US remain a possibility, the US president was confident that a deal "can be worked out."
As the week wore on, Trump signed his plan for widespread reciprocal tariffs but delayed their implementation as his administration launches negotiations on a one-by-one basis with nations that could be impacted.
Here are some highlights from the last seven days, plus a glimpse at the week ahead.
Key moments from last week's finance news
The escalation of Trump Trade Wars 2.0 was good news for safe-haven assets as investors sought somewhere to hide from the chaos. Gold, the classic hedge against uncertainty, went from strength to strength and has now gained about 10% this year, with the $3,000 per ounce mark increasingly within reach.
Investment vehicles like exchange-traded funds are one way of getting in on the action:
The Chinese AI start-up DeepSeek recently roiled tech stocks and wider markets as it prompted concerns about overspending in the space by major US companies.
With just Nvidia (NVDA) left to report, the havoc wrought by DeepSeek has been reflected in a mixed set of earnings reports for the "Magnificent 7" tech giants.
Will they recover their lustre, or has the Chinese pretender to the Chatbot throne ruined the love affair with investors? We took a deep dive:
Commercial property has been out of favour with investors in the UK in recent year, but 2025 is becoming something of a turning point for those looking to make a return from assets such as hotels, shops and warehouses.
With interest rates heading down and office space back in demand, the year ahead is looking good for the sector:
On Thursday, the markets' attention turned to UK economic growth, as official figures showed a slight increase in gross domestic product in the final quarter of 2024.
Although not in recession, the threat of a shallow downturn remains, as the thin margin between growth and contraction leaves room for possible downward revisions in future data:
As concerns about the state of Britain's economy mount, the government is coming under pressure to find more creative ways of plugging holes in the national deficit.