Calendar

HALLIBURTON (HAL)
Apr. 21, 9 a.m. EDT
With oil prices soaring, the oilfield-services giant's first-quarter earnings will likely be up 19% from the same period last year. Analysts predict earnings per share will be 64 cents.

BIG PHARMA
Apr. 21
Eli Lilly and Merck report first-quarter results today. At Lilly, (LLY) earnings are expected to be up 14% year over year, to 95 cents per share, thanks to the success of Zyprexa, its antipsychotic drug, and Cymbalta, its depression treatment. Analysts are less bullish on Merck (MRK): They are forecasting a 2 cents increase in earnings, to 86 cents per share, reflecting a sharp drop in prescriptions for Vytorin after a March report that the cholesterol-lowering drug is no more effective than older, cheaper drugs.

PENNSYLVANIA PRIMARY
Apr. 22
The economy and free trade will take center stage as Democratic candidates Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama battle it out in Pennsylvania's Democratic primary. The latest polls show that Clinton's once-considerable lead has narrowed to single digits.

FAST FOOD
Apr. 22
With grocery prices on the rise, fast-food restaurants are beefing up prices on their dollar menus, raking in extra profits. First-quarter earnings at these chains are expected to show slight upticks compared with the same period last year. McDonald's (MCD) and Yum! Brands (YUM), which operates chains such as Pizza Hut (YUM), Taco Bell (YUM), and KFC (YUM), report today, with expected increases of 11% and 17%, respectively. That puts McDonald's at 69 cents per share and Yum! at 41 cents. Wendy's (WEN) reports at the end of the week, on Apr. 25, with earnings per share predicted to come in at 17 cents, up 6% from a year ago.

EXISTING HOME SALES
Apr. 23, 10 a.m. EDT
U.S. existing home sales rose 2.9% in February, compared with the previous month. Another monthly increase would indicate that sellers are settling for lower prices, a possible step on the road to a housing recovery.

TECH COMPANIES
Apr. 23, 5 p.m. EDT
This week Apple (AAPL) announces its fiscal second-quarter results. Earnings per share will be up 21% from the same period a year ago, analysts estimate, reaching $1.05, thanks to the continued success of the iPhone and the launch of high-margin products such as the MacBook Air. Microsoft's (MSFT) fiscal third-quarter earnings should fall to 44 cents per share—a 16% drop from the same quarter last year, which saw the release of its Vista operating system.

FORD MOTOR
Apr. 25
With overall U.S. auto sales down 14% in March because of high gasoline prices and the continuing credit crunch, Ford (F) is struggling to get earnings out of the red. The auto company will likely post a loss of 12 cents a share for the first quarter of 2008.

CONSUMER CONFIDENCE
Apr. 25, 10 a.m. EDT
The final April reading of the University of Michigan index is expected to come in below the 63.2 preliminary figure. And that number was the lowest it's been since March, 1982.