Will Microsoft, Yahoo earnings overshadow search deal?

The tech companies reported to be in talks to secure a search partnership deal may overshadow those talks, as both report earnings this week.

Yahoo Inc. (YHOO) reports its second-quarter earnings today, while Microsoft (MSFT) is scheduled to report on Thursday. Last week, Google (GOOG) posted its slowest sales growth since the company sold shares to the public in 2004; this week, tech investors will learn whether Yahoo and Microsoft had a similar experience in April, May and June.