Tough Competition May Dampen eBay Earnings Despite Healthy Holiday

Internet commerce giant eBay (EBAY) reports fourth-quarter earnings after the bell Wednesday, but despite a healthy holiday sales season, Wall Street analysts aren't holding their breath for blowout numbers. Although eBay's payment service, PayPal, continues to be what one analyst calls a "crown jewel" for the company, strong competition from Amazon (AMZN) and others has put increasing market pressure on eBay.