The Fool's Look Ahead

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Monday
The new trading week begins with priceline.com (Nasdaq: PCLN) and DISH Network (Nasdaq: DISH) checking in.

Consumer-facing companies often feel the brunt of a recession, but analysts expect earnings growth for both the online travel portal and the satellite television provider. This probably isn't a surprise for Priceline watchers, since the company has posted better-than-expected results throughout the economic downturn. DISH may be more of a surprise, since it actually lost subscribers last year. However, DISH has turned things around, and analysts see quarterly profits more than doubling there.

Tuesday
Ralcorp (NYSE: RAH) is one to watch on Tuesday. The maker of store-brand food products is built for economic lulls on two fronts. First, we have food, and everyone needs to eat. Second, we have the value proposition of lower-priced generic foodstuffs. Who needs Cap'n Crunch cereal, when shoppers can recruit Private Crisp for a dollar less on the same dry cereal aisle? Analysts see Ralcorp earning $1.24 a share for its latest quarter, well ahead of the $0.83 a share it earned a year ago.

Activision Blizzard (Nasdaq: ATVI) also releases the latest installment in its Call of Duty series on Tuesday. It promises to be one of the hottest -- if not the hottest -- video game of the holiday season. What's the deal with releasing the game right before Veterans Day? Is this a tribute, or in poor taste?

Wednesday
If your Wednesday morning begins with a cup of premium coffee brewed by your Keurig single-cup machine, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters (Nasdaq: GMCR) thanks you. Earnings have been growing quickly at Green Mountain, thanks to the K-Cup boom.

Thursday
Blockbuster (NYSE: BBI) reports on Thursday. Analysts see the company duplicating the $0.11-a-share deficit it posted a year earlier, but the DVD rental chain appears to be more together than the red ink would seem to suggest. Between its low-risk kiosk initiative and cost-containment store strategies, Blockbuster is positioned well as it heads into the holidays.

Friday
The trading week closes out with only a handful of mostly small and foreign companies reporting, but keep an eye on Yingli Green Energy (NYSE: YGE). The Chinese maker of photovoltaic products will provide an excellent glimpse into the global state of the solar energy industry.

Until next week, I remain,
Rick Munarriz