Monday
Biotech bellwether Genentech (NYSE: DNA) kicks off the new trading week with the company's second-quarter report. Wall Street is looking for earnings to climb 10% to $0.86 a share, but it's OK to aim a little higher. Genentech has topped analyst estimates in each of the past nine quarters.
Tuesday
Intel (Nasdaq: INTC) inside? It will be, come Tuesday, when the PC chipmaker is expected to grow its bottom line by 14% to $0.25 a share. The chipmaker's produced a mixed bag lately, with stabilizing selling prices on its flagship microprocessors weighed down by plummeting flash memory prices. The stakes are high heading into Tuesday's report, but you know that Intel always has chips to put on the table.
Wednesday
eBay (Nasdaq: EBAY) bids for your attention on Wednesday. I was skeptical of the online auction giant when it pushed through some aggressive eBay.com promotions in late June. That kind of stuff can prop up top-line results but sting margins. Thankfully, eBay has faster-growing properties in its portfolio, including PayPal and Skype.
Thursday
Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) and Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) step up on Thursday with their quarterly numbers. Meow! You can imagine that every other analyst question during the Microsoft conference call will be about Yahoo! (Nasdaq: YHOO) and the ongoing Microhoo drama. Google will face a less inquisitive crowd, unless it pulls off a rare earnings miss.
Friday
Toymaker Mattel (NYSE: MAT) puts the shrimp on the Barbie come Friday. With all of last year's toy-recall disasters, it's refreshing to see Mattel stay out of the news lately. Friday's report covers a seasonal yawner of a quarter, but it's never too early to begin feeling out the toy companies for potential hot holiday hits.
Until next week, I remain,
Rick Munarriz
