1. Bond investors, meantime, awaited a report due tomorrow on third quarter employment costs and an appearance before Congress by Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan on Wednesday. 2. A conference report due Friday will likely indicate whether a compromise will be reached. 3. A report due next week is expected to show that December unemployment remained near its highest level since World War II. 4. But a string of corporate earnings reports due out in the next week or two are expected to be very strong. 5. Coffee futures dropped back some today as people waited for a report due next week on stockpiles of the commodity. 6. Concern the September U.S. consumer price index report due on Wednesday could indicate a quickening rate of inflation also held back investors from placing bets ahead of the weekend. 7. Earnings reports due next week will show how much damage Asia has done to large multinational companies. 8. Earnings reports due next week will show how much damage Asia has done to the bottom lines of large multinational companies. 9. Domestic economic reports due next week are expected to support expectations for lower rates. 10. Economic reports due this week are not expected to provide clues on the next move by the Federal Reserve. |