More than a few companies that you know -- and possibly own -- will be reporting earnings in the week ahead. Let's take a closer look.
Monday
The week starts slowly. It usually does. You have companies such as Macatawa Bank and First Defiance Financial stepping up quietly to the earnings podium, but your best advice is to eat three square meals, hit the hay early for some fortifying rest, and brace yourself for an onslaught of market movers shedding some light on their quarterly numbers over the next few days.
Tuesday
If it's Tuesday, it must be Yahoo!
Yes, AMD, the company that's been giving Intel
Wednesday
By now, you're probably kicking yourself that you didn't click that "Buy It Now" button on eBay
Perhaps that's why its shares have more than tripled over the past three years. What's a wall of worry when you have thousands of auction listings at any given time for wall-scaling equipment and catapults?
Thursday
While Ford and General Motors will be reporting earnings this week, Harley-Davidson
On Thursday, the hog maker will be looking to put a proud exclamation point on 2004. Even a decent showing will be enough to provide the company with its 19th consecutive year of record results. Sure, motorbikes aren't the safest form of transportation, but the stock has been on one long, smooth ride over the years.
Friday
It isn't easy being the country's most valuable company, but I'm guessing that General Electric
GE was a well-tuned machine three months ago, when it posted double-digit profit growth in all but three of its 11 beefy divisions. The big company and its stock stumbled after legendary CEO Jack Welch stepped down a little more than three years ago, but GE has now regained its stride and, true to its word, keeps bringing good things to life -- for consumers and shareholders alike.
Until next week, I remain,
Rick Munarriz
Longtime Fool contributor Rick Munarriz thinks 2005 will be a great year to take things one week at a time. He does not own shares in any of the companies in this story. He is part of the Rule Breakers newsletter research team, seeking out tomorrow's ultimate growth stocks a day early.