From Reuters.com
The day ahead: Wednesday
Investors will eye Google and Apple as they display their wares and await the possible return of Apple’s master showman CEO Steve Jobs at a media event.
* Google is set to brief investors in a Webcast about search and monetization. While the company made its fortune on Internet search ads, Wall Street is increasingly eager for signs that the company’s other money-making bets will pay off.
* Apple’s annual September gathering may or may not feature master showman CEO Steve Jobs. While revamped iPods are again on tap this year, much of the focus is stuck on whether Jobs will make his first public appearance since taking medical leave in January.
* Shops start selling of “The Beatles: Rock Band”, one of the most highly anticipated new video games this year.
* At the second day of the Reuters Global Climate and Alternative Energy Summit the agenda includes discussions with Brazil Environment Minister Carlos Minc, New Zealand Climate Change Minister Nick Smith, Keizai Doyukai Chairman Masamitsu Sakurai, Royal Society President Martin Rees and Google Green Energy Czar Bill Weihl.
The day ahead: Friday
Consumer spending and income data will be closely watched, along with a gauge of consumer sentiment, Tiffany results, and reaction to Apple’s new operating system.
* July personal income and spending data will provide more clues on the likely durability of any economic recovery. Personal income probably rose 0.2 percent compared with a year earlier after a drop of 1.3 percent the previous month, according to Reuters polling.
* All eyes in the retail world will be on high-end jeweler Tiffany & Co to see where the company stands with sales and its outlook for the upcoming holiday season, a critical selling period for jewelers.
* Apple’s new operating system for Mac computers will go on sale, a bit earlier than expected, as the company looks to continue to expand its share of the PC market.
* The final reading of the Reuters/University of Michigan consumer sentiment index, which is expected to come in at 64.5, will be down from 66 in July but up from the soft preliminary reading of 63.2.
