What to Watch on Wall Street This Week: Celebrity Beats and Blue Chip Feats

Updated
Ronald McDonald waves to kids outside a newly opened McDonald's franchise in West Haven, CT, USA
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You can never know in advance all the news that will move the market in a given week, but some things you can see coming. From the launch of a highly anticipated new online music service to the world's largest burger chain checking in with its quarterly numbers, here are some of the things that will help shape the week that lies ahead on Wall Street.

Monday -- Honoring the Dream: Don't expect to see a ticker symbols scrolling along the bottom of your screen on Monday. All of the major exchanges are closed in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

There is, however, one company reporting fresh financials on Monday. First Defiance Financial (FDEF) is defying conventional wisdom by announcing its latest quarterly results after 5 p.m. The Midwest banker and insurance agency will host its conference call on Tuesday morning.

Tuesday -- Beats Me: It will get even more crowded in the streaming music space when Beats Music rolls out on Tuesday.This isn't just another online platform. Beats Music has been generating buzz as a result of its all-star team of execs including Dr. Dre, Trent Reznor and Jimmy Iovine. A lot of money has gone into Beats Music, and that includes bankrolling a commercial in next month's Super Bowl broadcast.

Beats Music is an affiliate of premium headphone darling Beats Electronics. It hopes that music buffs will be willing to pay $10 a month for a streaming service that relies on celebrity musicologists to assemble its playlists, which it claims will be superior to those constructed by the algorithmic engines fueling the leading streaming sites.

Wednesday -- Be My Little eBay: The online revolution has been good for eBay (EBAY). The leading Web-based marketplace is also the company behind the popular financial payments processor PayPal. eBay reports on Wednesday. Analysts expect to hear revenue and earnings per share both climbed 14 percent for the holiday quarter.

%VIRTUAL-article-sponsoredlinks%PayPal has been the faster grower of eBay's two main businesses. It's been able to extend its reach far beyond facilitating auction transactions on eBay.com, and now a growing number of mainstream retailers accept PayPal as easily as they can swipe major credit cards. eBay has come a long way since its days as a place for Pez fans to swap dispensers.

Thursday -- Unhappy Meals: Things haven't been easy for McDonald's (MCD) since it's 10-year streak of positive monthly comps came to an end in late 2012. The world's largest restaurant operator has struggled to grow sales at the store level, and its push into premium items like fancy chicken salads and barista-brewed coffee beverages has confused patrons instead of exciting them.

Wall Street isn't holding out for a lot of growth when McDonald's reports on Thursday. Analysts see revenue and earnings climbing no more than 2 percent. One can always argue that at least it's a baby step in the right direction, but McDonald's has also missed Wall Street profit targets in two of the past three quarters.

Friday -- Battle of the Household Brands: Fridays are typically quiet on the exchanges, but that's not the case when you're in the heart of earnings season. Procter & Gamble (PG) and Kimberly Clark (KMB) are some of the blue chips stepping up with their latest quarterly results come Friday morning.

Procter & Gamble is the company behind Crest toothpaste, Pampers diapers, Gillette razors, and Duracell batteries. Kimberly Clark puts out Huggies diapers, Kleenex tissues, and Kotex feminine products. Let's hope a diaper war doesn't break out. That could get messy.

Motley Fool contributor Rick Munarriz has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends eBay, Kimberly-Clark, McDonald's and Procter & Gamble. The Motley Fool owns shares of eBay and McDonald's.

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