The Fool's Look Ahead

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Monday
The new trading week starts off with database software giant and serial acquirer Oracle (Nasdaq: ORCL) on the clock. The company expects to post earnings of $0.22 a share for its second quarter; it earned $0.19 a share a year earlier. Oracle has beaten Wall Street's estimates for five consecutive quarters, so at least it has momentum working in its favor.

Tuesday
Circuit City (NYSE: CC) checks in. Expect investors to be more in tune with the company's holiday outlook -- Circuit City is positioned to produce a record quarter -- than they were the previous quarter. Plasma and LCD screens? Next-generation consoles? GPS systems? Yes, all signs are pointing to a strong showing in consumer electronics, but curb that enthusiasm. We saw Motley Fool Stock Advisor recommendation Best Buy (NYSE: BBY) take a spill when it didn't exactly wow investors over the same period.

Wednesday
If you think that Circuit City and Best Buy will be busy over the holidays, they've got nothing on FedEx (NYSE: FDX). Those speedy deliveries will keep the FedEx jets and trucks busy over the next few days. Will it be busy enough to keep growing the company's bottom line? FedEx has done pretty good so far. The stock has doubled since being singled out in the Stock Advisor newsletter service nearly four years ago. On Wednesday, FedEx's bottom line is expected to improve to $1.75 for its second quarter from $1.53.

Thursday
We can don our red hats on this day to check in on Red Hat (NYSE: RHT). The company had been doing so well in profiting from the Linux open-source platform -- until Oracle crashed the party by offering marked-down Linux support. What kind of response will Red Hat offer? If a company can name itself after the kind of hat its founder wore, can the Fool be renamed Jester Hat? Red Hat will tackle the first question. There's no point in delving into the second one.

Friday
With the market heading into an extended Christmas holiday weekend (the market won't be open on Monday), it's going to be awfully quiet on the trading floor. Enjoy the silence. Or, if you prefer a little madness in your life, head out to your nearest mall to grab some last-minute deals. I'll be the one regifting the fruitcake.

Until next week, I remain,

Rick Munarriz

Longtime Fool contributor Rick Munarriz recommends windshield wiper fluid when trying to look forward. He is also part of the Rule Breakers newsletter research team, seeking out tomorrow's ultimate growth stocks a day early. He does not own shares in any of the companies in this story. The Fool has a disclosure policy.