Drugs, desk chairs, and dress shoes will color in the week that lies ahead.

Monday
The trading week kicks off with American Oriental Bioengineering (NYSE: AOB) and its fourth-quarter report. Analysts expect the pharmaceuticals company to earn $0.16 a share, less than the $0.25 a share it earned a year ago. If so, it would be the fourth consecutive quarter of year-over-year declines on the bottom line.

Tuesday
FactSet Research Systems (NYSE: FDS) and DSW (NYSE: DSW) check in. The financial information specialist and the shoe retailer have little in common, but Wall Street expects both companies to post stronger earnings than they did a year ago.

Wednesday
Herman Miller (Nasdaq: MLHR) reports. This is one of my favorite proxies for the economy as a whole because the company sells corporate furniture. If the economy is bouncing back and companies are hiring again, one should be able to detect it early through improvement at Herman Miller.

Thursday
Retailers continue to check in, with Casual Male (Nasdaq: CMRG) and Shoe Carnival (Nasdaq: SCVL) reporting. We're talking about the seasonally potent holiday quarter for these companies, yet both of these chains posted losses for the previous year's holiday season. They are both projected to be firmly in the black this time around.

Friday
The earnings slate is a bit light, but the same can't be said about the local multiplex. The Bounty Hunter, Repo Men, and Diary of a Wimpy Kid all begin their runs on Friday.

Until next week, I remain,

Rick Munarriz