On Tap Today: A Cavalcade of News, Data to Intel to Greenspan

There's plenty to watch out for today: big economic data, big tech earnings and a big speech from the Big Guy.

This morning brings the release of December

retail sales

and

Producer Price Index

data, which market players will watch closely -- especially the former -- for clues to the

Fed's

likely next move on interest rates. Speaking of which, Fed Chairman

Alan Greenspan

is set to speak tonight in New York. Wall Street will parse his every word for signs of hawkishness or dovishness on rates and the stock market.

In between, 'round about 4:16 p.m. EST,

Intel

(INTC) - Get Report

reports its fourth-quarter earnings. Analysts are looking for profits of 63 cents a share -- but they're

really

looking for more, of course.

Expected Earnings Reports

(

This table includes earnings expectations for S&P 500 companies only. Dates are as expected, according to First Call/Thomson Financial, and may change. The full week's earnings calendar is published separately.

)

Economic Data

(

Forecasts are from

Reuters

. Times are Eastern. For a longer-term economic calendar and more, see

TSC's

Economic Databank.

)

8:30 a.m.:Producer Price Index for December. Source: Labor Department. Forecast: +0.3% overall, +0.1% ex-food and energy. Previous: +0.2% overall, unchanged ex-food and energy.
8:30 a.m.:Retail sales for December. Source: Census Bureau. Forecast: overall +1.0%, ex-autos +0.7%. Previous: overall +0.9%, ex-autos +0.4%.
8:30 a.m.:Initial jobless claims for the week ended Jan. 1. Source: Labor Department. Forecast: 280,000. Previous: 274,000.

Conferences and Meetings

Salomon Smith Barney Entertainment, Media and Telecommunications Conference

, Palm Springs, Calif. Final day. Scheduled to present:

• British Telecom (BTY)


• Colt Telecom (COLT)


• GoTo.com (GOTO)


• NTL (NTLI)


• Radio Unica Communications (UNCA)

Salem Communications (SALM) - Get Report

• Telmex (TMX)


• Women.com Networks (WOMN) - Get Report


• Yahoo! (YHOO)

Chase H&Q Healthcare Conference

, San Francisco. Final day.

Needham Growth Conference

, New York. Final day.

Speeches and Testimony

8:25 p.m.: Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan addresses the New York Economic Club.