Coming Week: Shoppers' Delight

A deluge of reports, including new and existing-home sales, consumer confidence and third-quarter economic growth data, will steer this week's market as the all-important holiday shopping season kicks into high gear.

"A lot of the next week's data releases -- especially consumer confidence and personal income and spending -- have major implications for the entire holiday sales outlook," says Phillip Newhart, economist at Wachovia. "Black Friday data may drive trading on Monday morning, but it's more anecdotal and company-specific."

The official start of the holiday spending season on so-called Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, started with a bang as shoppers flooded stores across the country in search of bargains. But the event was greeted by selling on Wall Street. ...