Earnings watch:
Next week will be one of two peak weeks for first-quarter results with almost 200 of S&P 500 companies set to report, according to First Call. By the end of the week, almost 60 percent of the S&P companies will have reported.
Most of the major industries will have been heard from in a meaningful way by the end of next week -- with the notable exceptions of oil producers, insurance, health care services and retailers, First Call said. It’s also a big week for Dow stocks -- with 12 set to report.
As the results pour in, it’s clear the first quarter is on track to report very strong earnings, First Call said. The final results, in fact, are still likely to show at least 22 percent growth from the previous year.
Earnings are up 27 percent for the 18 percent of the S&P 500 companies that have reported, First Call said. So far, earnings are, on average, coming in 6.7 percent above expectations.
Monday: FreeMarkets, Digital Island, Media Metrix, E.piphany, Texas Instruments, Vitesse Semiconductor, Novellus Systems, Ford Motor, Eastman Kodak, Sears, RJ Reynolds, Citigroup, Merrill Lynch, BankAmerica, Bank of New York, US Bancorp, Alcan Aluminum, Eli Lilly, Pfizer.
Tuesday: America Online, DoubleClick, RealNetworks, PurchasePro.com, Inktomi, I2 Technologies, Ubid, IBM, Intel, EMC, Linear Technology, Siebel Systems, Teradyne, Cypress Semiconductor, Lam Research, Tellabs, Qualcomm, Sprint, Sprint PCS, Maytag, McGraw-Hill, MGM Grand, Whirlpool, Philip Morris, Mellon Bank, State Street, Bank One, Wells Fargo, Freddie Mac, PaineWebber, DLJ, DLJDirect, Diamond Offshore, Weyerhaeuser, Caterpillar, Tyco Int’l, Delta Air Lines, US Airways, Johnson & Johnson, Bristol-Myers.
Wednesday: Commerce One, ExciteAtHome, VeriSign, Vignette, Earthlink Network, Ask Jeeves, SportsLine.com, Egghead.com, CNET, Lucent Technologies, Apple Computer, Veritas Software, SAP, Conexant, Citrix Systems, Ceridian, Viant, Mattel, Liz Claiborne, Cooper Tire, Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Colgate-Palmolive, Avon Products, Sysco, Chase Manhattan, Wachovia, Occidental Petroleum, Georgia Pacific, Boeing, Raytheon, AMR, UAL, America West,Warner Lambert, American Home Products.
Thursday: Exodus Communications, Network Associates, Echelon, Microsoft, Xilinx, BellSouth, McDonald’s, Black & Decker, Gillette, AllState, Heller Financial, Sunoco, USX-US Steel, Continental Airlines, United Parcel Services, Ryder, Consolidated Edison NY, Peoples Energy, PG&E, Schering-Plough, Amgen, Genzyme.
Friday: Knight Ridder
