Following are five big themes likely to dominate thinking of investors and traders in the coming week and the Reuters stories related to them.

1/HELTER SKELTER

The past week's stock market slide has wiped $2.6 trillion off the value of global equity. The selloff in itself surprised no one; more interesting was the suddenness and the apparent lack of triggers.

It was a milestone week. The S&P 500 lost more than 5 percent in two days, the Nasdaq's fall on Wednesday was its biggest since 2011, China's slide took its stocks 30 percent off January peaks, and Taiwan's stock futures suffered their worst day since 2000.

The warning signs are long-standing: a tightening Fed, rising dollar, escalating trade war, slowing China and fragile emerging markets. Add in renewed doubts over Italy's debt and Donald Trump's attacks on the "loco" Fed, and you can see why some of the market froth came off.

The million (or trillion) dollar question now is: is this the major correction many people have been flagging for months, if not years Or not The coming week may show.