Monday
As the new trading week kicks off, Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) hosts a media event that's likely to include the unveiling of the Windows Phone 7 platform. Mr. Softy is more than a little late to the smartphone space, and it has a lot of ground to make up if it wants to contend in this hot field.
Tuesday
Fastenal (Nasdaq: FAST) checks in with its quarterly results on Tuesday. Things are apparently going well for the construction- and industrial-goods retailer. Analysts see Fastenal earning $0.50 a share for the quarter, well ahead of the $0.32 it rang up a year ago.
Wednesday
JPMorgan Chase (NYSE: JPM) heads up the class of companies reporting on Wednesday. The financial-services giant has made it through banking reform and a similar makeover in the credit card industry.
What's next? How is JPMorgan Chase doing on this side of reform? Those are some good questions, and maybe Wednesday will bring some answers.
Thursday
Landstar (Nasdaq: LSTR) pulls up to its quarterly weigh station on Thursday. Landstar, one of the 50 stocks we recently featured in our "11 O'Clock Stocks" series, runs a popular trucking marketplace. Matching cargo with nearby drivers who are looking for a load to haul has been a lucrative model for the company. It gets to cash in on the trucking business, but as the middleman it doesn't have to deal with the hassle of owning and maintaining a truck fleet. Wall Street expects net income to climb by 26% for the quarter.
Friday
The news is usually quiet on Fridays, but not when we're coming up on earnings season. Mattel (Nasdaq: MAT), Infosys (Nasdaq: INFY), and First Horizon National (NYSE: FHN) are just some of the companies reporting. They toil away in three entirely different industries, but analysts are targeting bottom-line improvement in all three cases compared with last year's results.
Until next week, I remain,
