The Week of Nov 17 - 21

Companies that could issue positive surprises include Hot Topic (HOTT - Analyst Report) and Raven Industries (RAVN - Analyst Report). AnnTaylor Stores Corp (ANN - Snapshot Report) could potentially disappoint investors.

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The Week's Events

This will be the last big week for third-quarter earnings. Dow component Home Depot (HD - Analyst Report) will be joined by fellow S&P 500 members Dell (DELL - Analyst Report), Lowe's (LOW - Snapshot Report) and Target Corporation (TGT - Snapshot Report).

We have confirmed reports from 91 companies. Retailers account for nearly half of this list.

Housing and inflation data are on the economic calendar. Minutes from the late-October Fed meeting will be released on Wednesday afternoon.

• Monday: October industrial production and capacity utilization, November Empire State manufacturing index
• Tuesday: October Producer Price Index (PPI), September net foreign purchases
• Wednesday: October Consumer Price Index (CPI), October building permits and housing starts, minutes from the October Fed meeting, weekly crude inventories
• Thursday: October Leading Indicators, Philadelphia Fed survey, weekly initial jobless claims

Vice Chairman Donald Kohn will speak on Wednesday about monetary policy at a conference in Washington, D.C.

November options will expire on Friday. This could add to the intraday volatility, but probably not enough to be noticeable. Unfortunately, there is nothing on the calendar that would reduce the level of volatility.

Action by Congress on the financial and proposed automaker bailouts could have an impact on market direction. The other wildcard out of Washington is who President-Elect Obama chooses as a nominee for Treasury Secretary.

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Companies That Could Issue Positive Earnings Surprises

Hot Topic (HOTT - Analyst Report) said last week that October comparable-store sales rose 8.3%. The teen clothing retailer also raised its guidance for the third quarter to between 16 cents and 17 cents per share. (Previously, HOTT had forecast profits of 12 cents to 15 cents.) Nearly all of the covering brokerage analysts raised their forecasts in response, pushing the consensus earnings estimate 3 cents higher to 17 cents per share. The company has topped expectations twice during the past 4 quarters. Hot Topic is scheduled to report earnings on Wednesday, Nov 19, after the close of trading.

During the past 30 days, the third-quarter consensus earnings estimate for Raven Industries (RAVN - Analyst Report) has been raised by 2 cents. The average forecast now calls for per share profits of 43 cents. RAVN has topped market forecasts in 3 out of the last 4 quarters. Raven Industries is scheduled to report earnings on Thursday, Nov 20, before the start of trading.

Companies That Could Issue Negative Earnings Surprises

AnnTaylor Stores Corp (ANN - Snapshot Report) recently warned that per share profits would only be breakeven for the third quarter. The company blamed a 19% drop in same-store sales for the warnings. Brokerage analysts, who had been projecting profits of 50 cents per share, slashed their forecasts to 7 cents. The most accurate estimate is more bearish at 1 cent. ANN has missed once during the past 3 quarters. AnnTaylor is scheduled to report earnings on Friday, Nov 21, before the start of trading.

Charles Rotblut, CFA is the senior market analyst for Zacks.com. He can be reached at crotblut@zacks.com.

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Earnings Calendar

Here is a list of companies that we have confirmed will report during the week of Nov 10 - 14¹. Prices are as of Thursday's, Nov 6, close.

Company	Ticker	Zacks Consensus Estimate	Year Ago Actual	Last Qtr Surprise	Report Date	Report Time	Price
Covidien-Ltd	COV - Snapshot Report	$0.68	$0.63	9.1%	11/17/2008	BTO	$37.07
Ctrip.Com Intl	CTRP - Analyst Report	$0.23	$0.21	0.0%	11/17/2008	AMC	$25.04
Derma Sciences	DSCI	($0.01)	$0.00	(50.0%)	11/17/2008	BTO	$0.38
Hasting Entmt	HAST - Snapshot Report	($0.08)	$0.01	(53.9%)	11/17/2008	BTO	$3.81
Jamba Inc	JMBA - Snapshot Report	($0.01)	($0.02)	(7000.0%)	11/17/2008	AMC	$0.56
Longtop Fin-Adr	LFT - Snapshot Report	$0.25	$0.27	9.1%	11/17/2008	N/A	$12.53
Lowes Cos	LOW - Snapshot Report	$0.29	$0.43	14.3%	11/17/2008	BTO	$19.73
Orbotech Ltd	ORBK - Snapshot Report	($0.10)	$0.05	0.0%	11/17/2008	BTO	$3.94
Petro Resources	PRC	$0.04	($0.04)	(300.0%)	11/17/2008	N/A	$0.49
Pinnacle Gas Re	PINN - Snapshot Report	($0.02)	($0.04)	(2000.0%)	11/17/2008	N/A	$0.89
Schawk Inc-Cl A	SGK - Snapshot Report	$0.18	$0.24	0.0%	11/17/2008	AMC	$12.79
Target Corp	TGT - Snapshot Report	$0.49	$0.56	6.5%	11/17/2008	BTO	$35.33
The9 Ltd-Adr	NCTY - Snapshot Report	$0.56	$0.17	27.1%	11/17/2008	AMC	$12.63
Xinhua Finance	XFML	$0.10	$0.13	0.0%	11/17/2008	AMC	$1.02
Arvinmeritor	ARM - Analyst Report	$0.34	($0.06)	18.5%	11/18/2008	BTO	$4.23
China Med Tech	CMED - Snapshot Report	$0.53	$0.38	10.4%	11/18/2008	BTO	$25.03
Gigamedia Ltd	GIGM - Snapshot Report	$0.16	$0.16	5.6%	11/18/2008	BTO	$5.52
Home Depot	HD - Analyst Report	$0.40	$0.59	18.3%	11/18/2008	BTO	$22.23
Intl Royalty Cp	ROY - Snapshot Report	$0.02	$0.02	(75.0%)	11/18/2008	N/A	$1.27
Jack In The Box	JBX	$0.45	$0.43	0.0%	11/18/2008	AMC	$16.42
La-Z-Boy Inc	LZB - Snapshot Report	$0.00	$0.01	16.7%	11/18/2008	AMC	$5.13
Medtronic	MDT - Analyst Report	$0.71	$0.58	4.3%	11/18/2008	BTO	$39.93
Mothers Work	MWRK	($0.80)	($0.92)	1.5%	11/18/2008	BTO	$7.37
Pac Sunwear Cal	PSUN - Snapshot Report	($0.02)	$0.16	0.0%	11/18/2008	AMC	$1.95
Phillips Van He	PVH - Snapshot Report	$1.06	$1.05	1.5%	11/18/2008	AMC	$18.40
Radiant Logist	RLGT	$0.01	$0.00	0.0%	11/18/2008	N/A	$0.14
Renesola Lt-Adr	SOL - Analyst Report	$0.37	$0.24	22.6%	11/18/2008	BTO	$4.51
Saks Inc	SKS - Analyst Report	$0.00	$0.17	(22.2%)	11/18/2008	BTO	$5.16
Valuevision Cla	VVTV - Snapshot Report	($0.36)	($0.07)	(74.1%)	11/18/2008	AMC	$0.46
Bj'S Wholesale	BJ - Analyst Report	$0.47	$0.35	1.8%	11/19/2008	BTO	$36.75
Cyberonics Inc	CYBX - Analyst Report	$0.05	($0.15)	166.7%	11/19/2008	AMC	$11.65
Dress Barn	DBRN - Snapshot Report	$0.27	$0.30	13.3%	11/19/2008	AMC	$7.96
Gymboree Corp	GYMB - Snapshot Report	$1.03	$0.91	17.4%	11/19/2008	AMC	$23.24
Hot Topic Inc	HOTT - Analyst Report	$0.17	$0.15	0.0%	11/19/2008	AMC	$7.40
Intuit Inc	INTU - Analyst Report	($0.18)	($0.15)	(33.3%)	11/19/2008	AMC	$22.95
Ldk Solar Co	LDK - Snapshot Report	$0.78	$0.37	131.7%	11/19/2008	BTO	$14.32
Mens Wearhouse	MW - Snapshot Report	$0.21	$0.69	2.9%	11/19/2008	AMC	$12.89
Mentor Graphics	MENT - Snapshot Report	($0.12)	($0.06)	88.2%	11/19/2008	BTO	$5.78
Noah Education	NED - Snapshot Report	$0.08	$0.21	100.0%	11/19/2008	AMC	$2.12
Petsmart Inc	PETM - Analyst Report	$0.27	$0.23	7.1%	11/19/2008	AMC	$17.32
Planar Systems	PLNR - Snapshot Report	($0.20)	($0.16)	83.3%	11/19/2008	AMC	$1.63
Ross Stores	ROST - Snapshot Report	$0.43	$0.36	0.0%	11/19/2008	BTO	$28.39
Semtech Corp	SMTC - Analyst Report	$0.17	$0.25	17.6%	11/19/2008	AMC	$9.85
Trina Solar Ltd	TSL - Snapshot Report	$1.15	$0.28	(3.8%)	11/19/2008	BTO	$10.09
Tween Brands	TWB - Snapshot Report	$0.25	$0.46	0.0%	11/19/2008	BTO	$5.63
Woodward Govnr	WGOV - Snapshot Report	$0.50	$0.51	6.8%	11/19/2008	AMC	$26.35
Agilysys Inc	AGYS - Analyst Report	($0.07)	$0.05	(180.0%)	11/20/2008	BTO	$2.51
Aruba Networks	ARUN - Snapshot Report	($0.06)	($0.01)	(16.7%)	11/20/2008	AMC	$2.94
Autodesk Inc	ADSK - Snapshot Report	$0.46	$0.39	9.3%	11/20/2008	AMC	$20.84
Barnes & Noble	BKS - Snapshot Report	($0.16)	($0.03)	77.8%	11/20/2008	BTO	$17.30
Bon-Ton Stores	BONT - Snapshot Report	($1.46)	($1.17)	9.8%	11/20/2008	BTO	$1.39
Brady Corp Cl A	BRC - Snapshot Report	$0.66	$0.66	3.2%	11/20/2008	BTO	$26.87
Buckle Inc	BKE - Snapshot Report	$0.61	$0.48	11.9%	11/20/2008	BTO	$21.30
Casual Male Ret	CMRG - Snapshot Report	($0.04)	($0.05)	0.0%	11/20/2008	N/A	$1.45
Cato Corp A	CTR	($0.03)	$0.09	(2.4%)	11/20/2008	BTO	$14.18
Childrens Place	PLCE - Snapshot Report	$0.85	$0.42	93.3%	11/20/2008	BTO	$23.28
Chordiant Sftwr	CHRD - Snapshot Report	$0.03	$0.16	200.0%	11/20/2008	AMC	$3.32
Cost Plus Inc	CPWM - Analyst Report	($1.12)	($0.63)	(17.5%)	11/20/2008	AMC	$1.43
Dell Inc	DELL - Analyst Report	$0.34	$0.34	(8.3%)	11/20/2008	AMC	$10.27
Ditech Networks	DITC - Snapshot Report	($0.24)	($0.11)	(12.5%)	11/20/2008	AMC	$0.82
Edap Tms Sa-Adr	EDAP	($0.31)	($0.22)	(66.7%)	11/20/2008	BTO	$1.80
E-House China	EJ - Snapshot Report	$0.13	$0.11	7.7%	11/20/2008	BTO	$5.14
Foot Locker Inc	FL - Snapshot Report	$0.25	$0.21	1000.0%	11/20/2008	AMC	$11.89
Gamestop Corp	GME - Analyst Report	$0.37	$0.33	21.4%	11/20/2008	BTO	$24.83
Gap Inc	GPS - Analyst Report	$0.34	$0.30	3.2%	11/20/2008	AMC	$12.30
Helmerich&Payne	HP - Snapshot Report	$1.18	$0.98	8.7%	11/20/2008	BTO	$27.69
Hibbet Sports	HIBB - Analyst Report	$0.27	$0.25	13.3%	11/20/2008	AMC	$16.06
Hurray Hldg-Adr	HRAY - Analyst Report	$0.01	($0.09)	0.0%	11/20/2008	AMC	$1.57
Limited Inc	LTD - Snapshot Report	$0.01	($0.01)	35.0%	11/20/2008	N/A	$9.59
Met-Pro Corp	MPR - Snapshot Report	$0.20	$0.18	0.0%	11/20/2008	BTO	$11.08
New York & Co	NWY - Snapshot Report	($0.10)	$0.09	55.6%	11/20/2008	BTO	$2.32
Pantry Inc	PTRY - Snapshot Report	$0.80	$0.33	71.4%	11/20/2008	BTO	$21.74
Raven Inds Inc	RAVN - Analyst Report	$0.43	$0.41	22.6%	11/20/2008	BTO	$31.91
Salesforce.Com	CRM - Analyst Report	$0.07	$0.04	0.0%	11/20/2008	AMC	$27.38
Sally Beauty Co	SBH - Snapshot Report	$0.15	$0.09	30.0%	11/20/2008	BTO	$4.36
School Specialt	SCHS - Analyst Report	$1.95	$1.76	(6.6%)	11/20/2008	BTO	$20.27
Shoe Carnival	SCVL - Snapshot Report	$0.33	$0.33	0.0%	11/20/2008	BTO	$12.00
Stage Stores	SSI - Snapshot Report	($0.20)	$0.06	8.7%	11/20/2008	BTO	$5.75
Stein Mart Inc	SMRT - Snapshot Report	($0.20)	($0.06)	(46.2%)	11/20/2008	BTO	$2.21
Suntech Pwr Hld	STP - Snapshot Report	$0.42	$0.32	28.1%	11/20/2008	BTO	$11.80
Sycamore Ntwks	SCMR - Analyst Report	($0.03)	$0.03	(400.0%)	11/20/2008	BTO	$3.05
Telvent Git Sa	TLVT - Snapshot Report	$0.33	$0.26	(28.6%)	11/20/2008	BTO	$7.40
Transdigm Group	TDG - Analyst Report	$0.71	$0.57	5.9%	11/20/2008	BTO	$29.10
Wet Seal Inc -A	WTSLA - Analyst Report	$0.06	($0.02)	0.0%	11/20/2008	BTO	$2.90
Zumiez Inc	ZUMZ - Analyst Report	$0.23	$0.28	28.57%	11/20/2008	AMC	$8.08
Aktieselskabet	TRMD	$1.22	$0.40	62.8%	11/21/2008	N/A	$14.17
Anntaylor Stres	ANN - Snapshot Report	$0.07	$0.66	12.5%	11/21/2008	BTO	$7.15
Heinz (Hj) Co	HNZ - Analyst Report	$0.75	$0.71	9.1%	11/21/2008	BTO	$42.45
Kirklands Inc	KIRK - Analyst Report	($0.15)	($0.26)	25.0%	11/21/2008	BTO	$1.93
Smucker Jm	SJM - Snapshot Report	$0.99	$0.91	7.9%	11/21/2008	BTO	$39.27

BMO = Before The Market Open, AMC = After Market Close

¹Some of the companies listed in the earnings calendar may not be in the Zacks Rank universe.