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STORY: From the specter of more energy pain for Europe to whether U.S. consumers will remain upbeat -- here are the business and finance stories to watch out for in the days ahead.

The Bank of Japan intervened to stem the yen's sharp decline against the dollar -- for the first time since 1998.

But the dollar is up more than 20 percent on the yen this year, casting doubt on whether the move will help.

Japan is holding rates at just below zero percent and is unlikely to budge.

Russian President Vladimir Putin's latest escalations have reverberated across markets, driving up oil prices and raising the spectre of more pain on the energy front for Europe.

Meanwhile, the EU is preparing a new set of sanctions which could be formalized mid-October.

Can the U.S. consumer defy sizzling inflation and rising borrowing costs?

Tuesday's consumer confidence measure will give us an indication.

The Conference Board's overall consumer confidence index ended three straight monthly declines in August.

But whether consumers remain upbeat is yet to be seen, especially given the Fed's intent to bring down inflation.

The "flash" estimate of September euro area consumer price data is out on Friday.

It should show inflation at a new record high above 9 percent.

Investors have already ramped up expectations for another 75 basis point hike in October.

Italian voters head to the polls Sunday.

When Italy last voted in 2018, markets were rattled by anti-euro rhetoric from populist parties.

This time around, Giorgia Meloni, whose right-wing block looks set for a big win, has embraced an EU-friendly stance -- reassuring investors.