Monday
The new trading week kicks off with Lowe's (NYSE: LOW) and profitable Chinese biotech 3SBio (Nasdaq: SSRX) reporting.

Lowe's will provide a healthy glimpse into the state of home-improvement retailing, a day before its larger, orange apron-donning rival reports. Both chains are expected to post modest bottom-line gains, encouraging signs that hint at an economic turnaround.

Tuesday
Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT) hits the register on Tuesday. The world's largest retailer held up well during the recession, but it's now being tested with iffy comps as some shoppers begin trading up to more conventional department stores.

Wednesday
Aruba Networks (Nasdaq: ARUN) and NetApp (Nasdaq: NTAP) report on Wednesday. Both tech stocks are projected to grow nicely, with Aruba's profitability nearly tripling and NetApp's earnings clocking in at $0.49 a share, comfortably ahead of the $0.37 it posted a year earlier.

Thursday
Marvell Technology (Nasdaq: MRVL) is Thursday's tech hopeful. The pros are targeting net income of $0.43 a share, but don't be surprised if Marvell is a marvel. It has landed slightly ahead of Wall Street's estimates in each of the five previous quarters.

Friday
It's usually quiet on Fridays, but that isn't the case during earnings season. The trading week wraps up with H.J. Heinz (NYSE: HNZ) pouring it on. The supermarket-staple giant is expected to earn $0.76 a share, flat with last year's showing during the same quarter.

Until next week, I remain,
Rick Munarriz