Earnings Preview 11/23/09 Investors will be able to say thanks next Thursday for a wonderful earnings season, one that is rapidly drawing to a close. There will be only 57 firms reporting quarterly results next week, including 10 members of the S&P 500. That group, however, contains some pretty important names, including computer giant Hewlett-Packard (HPQ), agricultural equipment king John Deere (DE) and investors will find out if Campbell Soup (CPB) really is "mm-mm good." The economic data is squeezed into the front part of the week due to the holiday: Monday •    Existing Home Sales are expected to rise to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.65 million from 5.57 million in September. While existing home sales make up more than 85% of all home sales, their effect on the economy is minimal and largely indirect. Watch the inventory numbers, though -- ...

Dell (DELL) will release its results on Thursday, after the close, as second-quarter earnings season nears an end. The technology company is projected to have earned 23 cents per share.

Joining Dell will be fellow S&P 500 members Big Lots (BIG), Medtronic (MDT), Novell (NOVL), Staples (SPLS) and Tiffany & Co. (TIF). A total of 76 companies are confirmed to release results.

Given the surprisingly strong July existing home sales report, all eyes will be on Wednesday's new home sales report. Specifically, economists will want to see that new home sales also rose for a fourth consecutive month.

Tuesday: August Conference Board consumer confidence, June S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Index Wednesday: July durable goods orders, July new home sales, weekly crude inventories Thursday: Preliminary second-quarter GDP, weekly initial jobless claims Friday: July personal income and spending, revised August University of Michigan consumer confidence

Atlanta Federal Reserve Bank President

...

Autozone, Inc. (

...

Autozone, Inc. (

...

The final week of August will feature earnings reports from S&P 500 members Big Lots (BIG), Dell (DELL), Novell (NOVL), Sears Holding (SHLD) and Tiffany (TIF). Overall, it will be a quiet week for earnings with 77 companies confirmed to report.

The economic schedule is pretty full, led by the minutes from the August Fed meeting. I don't anticipate any surprises from the notes. Other key data will include: Monday: July existing home sales Tuesday: July new home sales, August Conference Board consumer confidence index, August Fed minutes Wednesday: July durable goods orders, weekly crude inventories Thursday: Preliminary second-quarter GDP, weekly initial jobless claims Thursday: July personal income and spending, August Chicago PMI, revised August University of Michigan consumer confidence

The Federal Reserve's web site does not list any upcoming speeches.

The U.S. financial markets will be closed on Monday, Sep 1, in observance of Labor Day. Ahead of

...

Brown Shoe Co. Inc. is a company that began with one man’s dream back in 1878. In that year, George Warren Brown invested all his life savings to open a small business that would manufacture and sell his shoes. It did just that, and today Brown Shoes is a multi-billion dollar corporation.

With headquarters in St. Louis, Missouri, where George Brown first opened his business, Brown Shoe Co. Inc. is a global operation. They have 13,000 employees worldwide as part of the Textile: Apparel Footwear and Accessories industry. The company lists on the NYSE with a current market cap of $642.68M.

The company’s revenue mix is 61 percent from their retail operations and 39 percent from their wholesale operations. They operate their Famous Footwear division, which has over 1,100 stores in 50 states. This division sells brand-name shoes for the family. The company also operates a specialty retail division, which has

...