Barbie dolls and currency exchange helped the toy makers earnings…

This is a good sign given ill reports out of NYT and some digital ad companies…

Full article

The pipeline is said to be robust and companies are said to be updating IT infrastructure.

Full article/report

Consensus for next q is $10.02 EPS on revs of $8.1bn

CRUSH

JPM earned $1.02 per share vs consensus of $0.92

Up 4% in Q3 and 3% for Q4

Growth is expected, but how much ?

Company earned a $1.31 vs consensus of $1.30

Austerity works in a recovery….right?

Net income up 9.8%

The stock is down more than 5.7% now, following disappointing earnings.

$AA – Alcoa $0.15 vs $0.24; Revenues $6.42B vs $6.24B

SOURCE: @OptionRadar on Twitter

Well that sucks

Third-quarter earnings season kicks off next week with the traditional first report coming from Alcoa (AA: 9.71, -0.17, -1.72%) on Tuesday.

A handful of bellwether companies will also report next week, including Pepsico (PEP: 61.02, +0.45, +0.74%) on Wednesday, and Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) and JPMorgan Chase (JPM: 30.70, -1.68, -5.19%) on Thursday.

Economic data next week will center on the moods and habits of the consumer, a vital gauge of where the economy is headed given that consumer spending represents roughly 70% of the U.S. economy.

Laden with debt and fearful for their jobs, the U.S. consumer has been thrifty recently, which has contributed significantly to the drag on the economic recovery. Investors will be looking for something positive from the release Tuesday of the IBD/TIPP Economic Optimism Index for October, and the preliminary Reuters/University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index due Friday.

Minutes from the Federal Reserve Board’s two-day September meeting will be released Tuesday and no surprises are likely. The Fed has already approved a $400 billion shift in its portfolio from short-term to long-term securities in an effort to reduce long-term interest rates on loans such as mortgages.

Details may emerge on the rift between three FOMC members who dissented from the portfolio shift and the majority of the 10-member board led by Chairman Ben Bernanke who support further Fed interventions.

The so-called Volcker Rule, part of last year’s sprawling Wall Street reform legislation, will be unveiled on Tuesday. The banking community is certain to be paying attention as the rule could curb profits from banks’ proprietary trading units.

Reports on September retail and food sales are due Friday. Those numbers will also be impacted by the dour mood of the consumer.

The September Import and Export Price Indexes will be released Friday and are expected to rise slightly due to a small bump in oil prices during September. A report on business inventories for August is also due Friday.

Galleon Group founder Raj Rajaratnam, convicted in one of the largest insider trading schemes ever, will be sentenced on Thursday.

Read more: http://www.foxbusiness.com/markets/2011/10/07/week-ahead-third-quarter-earnings-and-fomc-minutes/#ixzz1aABIuWu5

Analyst take estimates down again

Full article

Pickups and SUVs helped accelerate U.S. auto sales in September, although carmakers remain concerned that worries about the economy could dampen demand later this fall.

General Motor Co.’s sales rose 20 percent compared with last September, led by a 34-percent rise in full-size pickups and SUV sales. Chrysler Group LLC’s overall sales rose 27 percent.

The growth built on a healthy performance in August, when new models, cheaper financing and pent-up demand lifted the industry after several disappointing months.

September truck sales benefited from falling gas prices, a need to replace aging fleets, and promotions to clear out older models from showrooms.

Sales promotions were especially helpful, according to Jeff Schuster, executive director of global forecasting for J.D. Power and Associates. GM, for example, was offering zero-percent financing and $1,000 cash on the 2011 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 pickup. Sales of the Silverado, one of America’s best-selling vehicles, rose 36 percent. Ram pickup sales were especially strong at Chrysler.

FULL STORY HERE

So much for global growth; another company reporting that earnings are in free fall….

IR down 4.6%..was down as much as 13% premarket

Usual suspects like politicians at home and abroad bickering over money troubles.

Full article