Coming Week: Rate Ripples

Forget about the lazy days of summer. End-of-quarter buying and high-profile economic data -- capped off by a Fed decision -- should rev up the markets as we reach midyear.

"The Fed is the main story next week, but it's not the only story," says John Silvia, chief economist at Wachovia. Like most economists, Silvia is expecting Alan Greenspan & Co. to raise overnight lending rates by 25 basis points to 3.25%, the ninth rate hike in a row since this time last year.

Consumer confidence numbers for June kick off the data parade on Tuesday. Economists are expecting a reading of 104, up from 102.2 in May. ...