On Friday, the Dow gained 12.8 points, and the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq each gained a fraction of a point. For the week, the Dow was up 0.6 percent, the S&P 500 was up one percent and the Nasdaq was up 1.8 percent.

Analysts now would like to see investors demonstrate some confidence that corporate earnings, outlooks and index figures are in agreement. Consolidation at present market levels would allow the economy a chance to rebuild slowly during the remainder of the year.

The market is likely to see increased volatility at the end of next week as March option and futures expire, and investors contribute to market volume as they adapt their positions.

On Monday, the Senate Banking Committee is expected to announce its version of a financial regulations bill. With bipartisan talks having fallen apart, continuing disagreement on regulations has given the market a window in which stock prices have advanced. Also on Monday, major credit card issuers will report, and investors hope to hear that defaults are diminishing.

On Tuesday, the Federal Reserve will meet to set interest rates and will issue its assessment of the economy. It is expected that interest rates will remain near zero for an “extended period.” As always, investors will be alert for any signal that the Fed will begin to tighten its monetary policy. Also on Tuesday, February housing starts will be announced. It is estimated that the figure will fall to 570,000 annually, compared to January’s figure of 591,000.

The Producer Price Index will be reported Wednesday; February’s figure is anticipated to have fallen 0.2 percent, compared to January’s rise of 1.4 percent. Thursday will bring the Consumer Price Index, estimated to show an increase of 0.1 percent for February, lower than January’s increase of 0.2 percent. The figures indicate that the inflation rate is slowing.

The weekly initial unemployment claims figures will be reported on Thursday. The figure is expected to fall to 455,000 from 462,000 during the previous week.

Eight 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:

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (AJG)
Bank of Hawaii Corporation (BOH)
Compass Minerals International, Inc. (CMP)
The Dun & Bradstreet Corporation (DNB)
Ecolab Inc. (ECL)
Hospitality Properties Trust (HPT)
The Hershey Company (HSY)
Ruddick Corporation (RDK)

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