The Fool's Look Ahead

Monday
The new trading week kicks off with a poster child of the subprime meltdown. Thornburg Mortgage (NYSE: TMA) was sitting pretty a year ago, with investors believing that its portfolio of high-quality home loans would be immune to the subprime tremors. That was before margin calls forced Thornburg into desperate and shareholder-dilutive moves. The company reports its quarterly results on Monday, but mostly it will give analysts a chance to scream at the company.  

Tuesday
The market bell tolls for Toll Brothers (NYSE: TOL). When the builder of residential homes puts up its quarterly numbers, investors will want to wear their hardhats. Toll has put up losses in its two most recent quarters, and analysts expect more of the same this time around. Don't even bother asking whether housing has turned the corner. As long as we still have a glut of inventory, falling home prices, and short-armed lenders, we're still early in our walk down the long block. It'll be a while before we even get to the corner.

Wednesday
If the likely bleak near-term prognosis out of Toll has you hungry for a second opinion, Hovnanian Enterprises (NYSE: HOV) steps up on Wednesday. Things won't get any prettier, with Hovnanian working on even an uglier streak of six consecutive quarterly losses. Hovnanian's recent history has been a horror show of asset writedowns and slashed order backlogs. I hope you kept that hardhat from Tuesday.

Thursday
You rarely get to discuss Vail Resorts (NYSE: MTN) and Jackson Hewitt Tax Services (NYSE: JTX) in the same sentence, but both companies have two things in common. For starters, they both report earnings on Thursday. Second, they're both highly seasonal companies and about to report on their strongest quarters. Vail's biggest profit comes during snow-skiing season, while Jackson Hewitt obviously lives and dies by the April 15 tax filing deadline.

If you're looking for a less seasonal play, tune in to Focus Media (Nasdaq: FMCN). China's leading outdoor display-advertising company is expected to put up a profit of $0.33 a share for its latest quarter, 57% ahead of last year's showing. You never saw outdoor billboards, ad-backed television monitors, and elevator ads as growth industries? Read up on China, my friend. Then you may appreciate why Focus Media is a recent addition to the Motley Fool Rule Breakers scorecard.

Friday
DreamWorks Animation (NYSE: DWA) hopes you're heading out to the multiplex to catch its latest computer-rendered release, Kung Fu Panda. A lot is riding on the animated feature, including a television show spin-off, related toys, and the possibility of a sequel if audiences take to the flick.

Until next week, I remain,

Rick Munarriz