A busy day awaits Wall Street on Tuesday with dozens of big companies due to report third-quarter results and consumer confidence figures likely to weigh on sentiment.  Clothing manufacturer VF Corp. ( VFC - news - people ) will likely be among the losers in morning trading after the company said late Monday that sales fell 5% from 2008 and profit came in a penny under analyst estimates. VF, which owns The North Face, Reef and other brands, made $1.94 a share in the latest quarter, down from $2.03 a share last year. Investors were disappointed, taking shares down 7% after the closing bell.  Chemical company Albemarle ( ALB - news - people ) could also have a hangover when trading starts. The Baton Rouge-based firm fell 1.5% in extended trading Monday after announcing that revenue dropped 22% in the last year. Profits, however, came in ahead of analysts' predictions at 57 cents a share in the latest quarter.  Energy shares will be in focus after morning earnings announcements from BP ( BP - news - people ) and Valero Energy ( VLO - news - people ). Thanks to falling oil prices, which peaked last year, BP is expected to say quarterly earnings plunged to $1.04 from $2.84 in 2008. Analysts expect Valero to report a loss for the quarter of 33 cents a share as rising crude prices and weak demand squeeze refiners.  Also in raw materials, U.S. Steel ( X - news - people ) is expected to declare a stiff $2.87 a share loss for the quarter compared with earnings of $7.80 last year. The steelmaker has lost money in the last two quarters but there have been signs of a rebound in demand for the metal allow.  Traders will also be watching the Conference Board's Consumer Confidence Index, due to be released at the start of trading tomorrow. Experts are looking for a modest increase in the numbers but a surprise drop could hurt consumer-oriented stocks. Unemployment remains stubbornly high and companies have mostly managed robust profits by cutting costs. Analysts are beginning to question the pace of economic recovery if Americans don't start spending again.  Also out in the morning, home price data are expected to show a drop of around 12% from last year, although the pace of declines is slowing. Although unlikely to move markets, investors with a stake in homebuilders or landlords will be parsing the data for signs of stabilizing prices.  Currency markets will also likely garner attention after a reversal of the dollar's slide hammered commodities Monday and caused stocks to slide. Traders are wary of pushing the euro beyond the $1.50 mark, though commodities-linked currencies also fell against the dollar. (See "March Of The Currencies")  Thomson Reuters and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
Another big batch of earnings will likely show rising profits but falling sales while home price and consumer data could disappoint.