The Fool's Look Ahead

Monday
The new trading week kicks off with Casey's General Stores (Nasdaq: CASY  ) serving up its quarterly report. Selling groceries, gasoline, and discounted merchandise has been a hot ticket during the economic lull, so it shouldn't be a surprise to see analysts projecting a profit of $0.36 a share for Casey's, 29% ahead of last year's showing. If that sounds ambitious, consider that Casey's blew past Wall Street's targets three months ago.

Tuesday
Korn/Ferry (NYSE: KFY  ) comes in for its quarterly job interview. The executive recruiter has naturally had a sluggish time during the recession. Companies aren't hiring, and executives are afraid to make the leap to a new gig. Korn/Ferry even posted a few quarterly losses along the way, but it's back in the black these days. Analysts even see earnings growth come Tuesday.

Wednesday
Hot Topic (Nasdaq: HOTT  ) and Interval Leisure Group (Nasdaq: IILG  ) are slated to post quarterly profits that are lower than what they rang up a year ago. Hot Topic had its brief moment in the sun when the Twilight crowd began dressing up in edgy dark clothing, but the counterculture apparel retailer has been struggling lately. Meanwhile, the timeshare-swapping Interval Leisure, which Barry Diller's IAC/Interactive spun off in 2008, is just in the wrong travel niche at the wrong time.

Thursday
It's time to check out the billboards, when Clear Channel Outdoors (NYSE: CCO  ) reports. As a titan in the billboard industry, Clear Channel Outdoors should provide a healthy glimpse of the old-school advertising market.

Friday
Ann Taylor (NYSE: ANN  ) and Citi Trends (Nasdaq: CTRN  ) wrap up the trading week. It's only natural to have plenty of retailers posting their holiday quarter results this time of year, since many of them have fiscal years that end in January. Ann Taylor and Citi Trends are vastly different concepts, with Citi Trends discounting apparel in urban markets and Ann Taylor working typically from suburban shopping malls to outfit women with office-ready clothing.

Until next week, I remain,

Rick Munarriz