Stock market bulls are about to hit a wall. Q1 earnings season is coming, but the timing couldn't be worse. Geopolitical tensions keep escalating, and nobody's really sure what happens to economic growth from here. It's one of those moments where the numbers on paper meet real-world uncertainty. Investors are nervous because traditional equity valuations depend on predictable earnings trends—something that feels far from certain right now. The confluence of corporate performance reports hitting the market while macro headwinds intensify creates a genuine fork in the road for risk assets. Either earnings surprise to the upside and ease concerns, or they confirm what many fear: slower growth ahead.