Streetoncamara/iStock via Getty ImagesListen below or on the go on Apple Podcasts and SpotifyWall Street expects a quarter-point Fed rate cut but sparks could fly at the meeting. (0:17) FedEx facing earnings headwinds. (2:50) OpenAI sees lower rev share with Microsoft. (3:46)It’s Fed week and while Wall Street is as sure as it can get about the outcome, this will likely be one of the most contentious in recent memory.Following weak labor market data, a quarter-point rate cut is priced in, with a 7% chance of a bigger 50-basis-point cut.But with Fed Chairman Jay Powell still looking at a more moderate path to easing, given sticky retail inflation, there are likely to be dissents. Governor Christopher Waller is likely to push for 50 basis points – which would please President Trump – as he angles to be the next Fed chair. And new White House appointee Stephen Miran, should he be confirmed on Monday, will also like be voting to slash rates by as much as possible.There’s also the controversy surrounding Trump’s attempts to oust Fed Governor Lisa Cook over allegations of mortgage fraud. On Saturday, Cook asked an appeals court to reject a White House move to remove her from the Fed ahead of this week’s meeting. On Friday Reuters reported that a loan estimate provided by a credit union that Cook used for a mortgage on a residence she purchased in Atlanta shows she claimed it as a "vacation home," which supports her argument that she did not claim two primary residences.Even if the new group of uber-doves can’t get the votes for a half-point cut they could make their dissent felt in the dot plot, projecting 300 basis points of cuts through the end of next year. Trump has said the fed funds rate should be around 1%.Skyler Weinand, chief investment officer of Regan Capital, says: "The market is calling for six total cuts between now and the end of 2026 and while we think that’s possible, we expect inflation to reignite and potentially lead to materially higher long-term interest rates, which is what the administration is trying to control the most."Mohamed El-Erian, advisor at Allianz, says there “will also be a great deal of interest in Chair Jerome Powell’s press conference, including how he handles questions on political independence and Fed reforms.”On the economic calendar this week, August retail sales numbers are due on Tuesday and August housing starts and building permits hit Wednesday.On retail sales, Wells Fargo economists say: “While there is underlying resilience, consumption is slowing. Softer sentiment, elevated inflation expectations and a weakening labor market suggest there is good reason for caution. Households still generally have the means to spend, but growing concerns over the labor market suggest that we will likely see a pullback in the pace of spending growth for the remainder of the year.”In the corporate sphere, while the busy season is a couple of weeks away, Q3 earnings are beginning to trickle in, with five S&P 500 companies reporting this week.FactSet says “the estimated (year-over-year) earnings growth rate for the S&P 500 is 7.6%. If 7.6% is the actual growth rate for the quarter, it will mark the ninth-consecutive quarter of earnings growth for the index.”So far, 52 S&P 500 companies have issued negative EPS guidance and 58 have issued positive guidance.FedEx (FDX) will garner the most attention. It reports earnings after the bell on Thursday.Analysts expect the company to report adjusted EPSof $3.67 on $21.71 billion in revenue. FedEx faces many hurdles to an upside surprise, namely stagnant business-to-business demand, deteriorating business-to-consumer (B2C) trends, and pressures from U.S. trade policies that have stifled shipping from overseas customers. But J.P. Morgan's Brian Ossenbeck sees upside in the stock's valuation warranted by the Freight spin-off and long-term potential in combining the Ground and Express networks.SA analyst TradingKey says FedEx is undervalued at 13x earnings, with a more appropriate multiple being 16-17x, implying a 30% upside.Also on the earnings calendar:Dave & Buster's (PLAY) reports on Monday.Ferguson (FERG), Evolution Petroleum (EPM) and Flux Power Holdings (FLUX) issue numbers on Tuesday.General Mills (GIS), Steelcase (SCS) and Nano Dimension (NNDM) weigh in on Wednesday.Joining FedEx on Thursday are Lennar (LEN) and FactSet Research (FDS).In the news this weekend, OpenAI expects its revenue sharing with Microsoft (MSFT) and other commercial partners to drop to about 8% by 2030 from the current 20%.The Information reports that the adjustment could add up to more than $50 billion in additional revenue for the AI startup, without specifying whether it was an aggregate or annual figure.The Sam Altman-led company is also negotiating the amount it will have to pay for servers rented from Microsoft.On Friday, the duo announced a non-binding agreement to renegotiate the terms of their existing partnership under which OpenAI’s nonprofit arm is entitled to more than $100 billion or ~20% of the $500 billion valuation the company is seeking in private markets.For income investors, Coca-Cola (KO), Domino’s Pizza (DPZ), Gilead (GILD) and UnitedHealth (UNH) all go ex-dividend on Monday.Coca-Cola pays out on Oct. 1 and Domino’s pays out on Sept. 30. Gilead has a payout date of Sept. 29 and UnitedHealth pays out on Sept. 23.And for those seeking stability in the face of uncertainty, dividends continue to offer a reliable mix of income and downside protection.Seeking Alpha analysts have compiled a curated list of the top 10 dividend-paying stocks, spotlighting U.S. companies with market capitalizations above $10 billion that earn strong ratings across all four key dividend factors: safety, growth, yield, and consistency.Each stock on the list holds a composite grade ranging from B to A+, underscoring their resilience and attractiveness for income-focused investors.The top 5 are Alexandria Real Estate Equities (ARE), with an analyst grade of 4.53, Bunge Global (BG), with an analyst grade of 4.33, Watsco (WSO), with a grade of 4.00, Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMY), with an analyst grade of 3.93 and Amgen (AMGN), with a grade of 3.83.