Chevron earnings

Chevron Corp. (CVX) said Friday its fourth-quarter net income jumped 72 percent as rising fuel demand lifted oil prices and produced a sharp turnaround in its refinery business. The San Ramon, Calif. company reported net income of $5.3 billion, or $2.64 per share, for the final three months of...

With corporate earnings season in full swing -- watch for McDonalds, along with Catepillar, Amazon and other -- and with the Fed meeting on interest rates, the GDP estimate and housing numbers coming out -- the week ahead is expected to be quite busy.

Blue-chip earnings and an improvement in consumer sentiment helped stocks shrug off disappointing economic growth to end mixed Friday -- but the market still enjoyed its biggest monthly gain in a year.

Chevron's second-quarter earnings easily topped forecasts, but revenue came in lower than analysts expected. It recorded net income of $5.41 billion, or $2.70 a share, up from $1.75 billion, or 87 cents, in last year's second quarter.

Blue-chip energy giants ExxonMobil and Chevron report earnings this week, and if analysts' forecasts are right, both should post sharply higher revenues and profits, helped by lower costs and higher oil prices.