Week Ahead: The First Reports of Earnings Season

For Morningstar, I'm Jeremy Glaser. Welcome to The Week Ahead, our quick take on what investors should have on their radar screens for the week starting Oct. 5.

Although the third quarter is now behind us, we still have to wait one more week before the deluge of earnings reports. Still there are a handful of firms reporting.

PepsiCo has been doing a good job of cutting costs and driving price increases, but last quarter we saw some weakness in volumes. Investors will be watching to see if this dynamic turns around.

We will get a window into the Chinese consumer when Yum Brands reports this week. Now, of course, you don't want to read too much into these numbers, given some of the supplier and other issues that have had a major impact on Yum's China operations in recent years, but it will give some hint on what's happening on the ground in the country.

Five-star rated Alcoa will report on Thursday after last week's announcement that it will split into two companies sometime next year.

We'll get more details on the Fed's decision not to raise rates in September with the release of the minutes from the meeting on Thursday. Look for these to be closely scrutinized for any signs of when the Fed will act.

After September's disappointing jobs report, investors will also be looking for clues as to the path of the U.S. economy. There won't be a lot of new information, but we will get some trade data, our weekly look at initial unemployment claims, and wholesale inventories. 

Stay tuned to Morningstar for our take on all of these stories throughout the week.