earnings preview

5 Things To Watch Next Week: Murdoch Mania, Soda Wars and More

Even as investors reel from the stock-market roller coaster this week, Wall Street is moving on, with plenty of news on the way. Next week will bring headlines about retail and gaming earnings, as well as quarterly reports from News Corp., SodaStream and some newly public Chinese firms.

Will GM Post Its First Annual Profit Since 2004?

Or will it disappoint? Investors -- and taxpayers -- will be watching on Thursday, when GM posts its latest earnings. Despite analyst expectations of a full-year profit, the automaker has warned that fourth-quarter results will fall "significantly" from previous periods.

Toyota Fights Recall Woes and Stronger Yen

The Japanese automaker's bottom line is likely to have been hit by its many safety recalls, weaker U.S. sales and Japan's rising currency. Analysts forecast Toyota will report a quarterly profit of about $1 billion on sales of $56.2 billion.

Ford May Post Its Best Yearly Profit in a Decade

Analysts forecast that Ford will announce a profit of 48 cents a share on revenue of about $30.6 billion when it releases earnings on Friday. That translates into an expected pretax profit of $8 billion in 2010, the best Ford has seen since 1999.

Amazon to Buy European Movie-Rental Service Lovefilm

Amazon.com on Thursday announced it is buying Lovefilm, a European home-video distributor that some have called the Netflix of Europe. The deal will give the world's largest online retailer a stronger foothold in digital-video distribution. Will it buy Netflix next?

Week in Preview: December Jobs, Earnings and Retail Reports

The new year's first week will be busy. Due out on Friday is December's umemployment rate, and the consensus is for it to drop to 9.7%. However, few expect real improvement until well into 2011. Also on tap: weekly and monthly chain-store sales, FOMC minutes, ISM services report and more.

Week in Preview: 2010's Final Economic Data Reports

Even as the year winds to a close this week, a handful of economic releases are on the schedule. Starting on Monday, the Chicago Fed releases its Midwest Manufacturing Index for November. Then we'll see consumer confidence, jobless claims and more.

Week in Preview: Calm After Storm for U.S. Markets

A quiet week for earnings, along with new reports on consumer credit, consumer sentiment, economic optimism, wholesale trade, the U.S. trade balance and federal budget balance, should give the stock markets a chance to settle down after last week's volatility.

Cisco Systems Plunges on Outlook Fears

Shares of networking equipment maker Cisco Systems plunged more than 16% Thursday as the company's forecast and comments from CEO John Chambers spooked investors.

GM Earnings Preview: A Third Straight Profit?

After reporting a $4.3 billion loss during the last half of 2009, General Motors saw two positive quarters during the first half of the the year and is expected to stay on course when it reports its latest earnings Wednesday.

Toyota Earnings Preview: Recalls May Hurt

When Toyota Motor reports quarterly earnings tomorrow it will give investors the latest snapshot of how big a toll massive recalls and tepid auto sales are taking on the company's bottom line.

Ford May See Record Third-Quarter Earnings

Riding high on improved demand for its vehicles, analysts expect Ford to post a record third-quarter profit of $1.37 billion tomorrow. The automaker's current third-quarter earnings record is $1.13 billion, set in 1997.

How to Profit From Earnings Report Surprises

Buy-and-hold investing has been a loss for the last decade, and low-risk options will never get you the returns you'll need to retire in style. So how can you find real profits in the market? As venture capitalist and business guru Peter Cohen explains, the answer may be in anticipating surprises.

Third-Quarter Profits Should Keep Rebounding

Earnings season unofficially kicks off after the markets close Thursday when Alcoa reports. And some big-name beat-and-raise earnings reports could be just the spark to ignite that market-moving dry powder.

Ford Earnings Likely to Weaken in 2011 on Higher Costs

Ford earnings are expected to be weaker next year due to higher costs for pensions and materials, according to a research note released Wednesday by Credit Suisse Securities. Forecasts call for pretax income from Ford's North America operations to fall to $4.2 billion in 2011 from $4.8 billion this year.

Week in Preview: Earnings Season Winds Down

Tiffany & Co. is among the few S&P 500 companies reporting results this week and is expected to shine. The jeweler released an iPhone app and boosted its dividend in the quarter. Canadian banks are expected to post earnings growth as well.

GM Looks Set to Report Another Profit

Three months after turning in its first profit since bankruptcy, GM is expected to report even bigger profits during the second quarter when it releases its latest results on Thursday.