On Friday, the Dow ended the day with a loss of 45 points, the S&P 500 lost nearly 3 points, and the Nasdaq posted a gain of 6 points. For the week, the Dow and the S&P advanced 0.9 percent, and the Nasdaq advanced two percent, the first weekly gains for the indexes in four weeks.

Next week, fourth-quarter earnings reports continue, with the world’s largest retailer, Wal-Mart (WMT), reporting on Wednesday. The company has already indicated that sales from November through January were flat, but investors will be more interested in the company’s outlook for 2010. A number of other retailers will also report during the week, and the data will provide some insight into consumer spending, important because it accounts for nearly two-thirds of GDP.

Hewlett-Packard (HP) also reports on Wednesday and is expected to show rising profits due to sales and orders from corporations upgrading their technology hardware. Dell (DELL) reports the following day and the hope is that corporate purchases will also benefit that company.

On Wednesday, data on housing starts for January is expected to show an increase, but an end to the tax credit for purchasers of homes and the possibility of rising interest rates later this year threatens the recovering housing market.

Wednesday will also provide numbers for industrial production in January, anticipated to rise 0.7 percent for the month. Also that day, minutes from the last Federal Reserve meeting will be released and will be analyzed in terms of what the plans may be for the government to begin curtailing its stimulus dollars.

The overriding concerns for the markets, however, will be international in scope. There are doubts about the ability of the European Union to formulate a plan to aid Greece as it faces the possibility of default on its public debt. And China has again raised reserve requirements for its banks in an effort to rein in its economy, with the effect of slowing demand for products from large manufacturing and consumer products suppliers.

8 Stocks to Watch

Eight Big Caps are still poised for strong gains with market and sector strength and confirmation. The eight stocks we're watching:

AutoZone, Inc. (AZO)
Citrix Systems, Inc. (CTXS)
Cooper Industries plc (CBE)
Genworth Financial, Inc. (GNW)
Limited Brands, Inc. (LTD)
The Procter & Gamble Company (PG)
Raytheon Company (RTN)
Tyco Electronics Ltd. (TEL)

Dave Mecklenburg is the Editor-in-Chief of TigerSharkTrading.com.