Before the bell 05-30-06: GOOG, MSFT, YHOO, EBAY

We're back from the long holiday weekend and it's time to worry about the stock market and rising interest rates. Futures are sharply lower this morning as this week brings a flood of economic data, starting with consumer confidence today at 10 a.m. Tomorrow the Fed will release the minutes from its last meeting. And Friday brings a new payroll report, which CNBC's commentator just called "the 800 pound gorilla" of the week.

Wal-Mart already  reported on Saturday that May retail sales would be lower than forecast, which is likely a big concern of investors worrying about flagging consumer spending in the face of higher gas prices. Retailers report May retail sales on Thursday.

In other news, the CEO of Kinder Morgan (KMI) is leading a group that plans to take the pipeline company private, UBS Securities upgraded Sun Microsystems (SUNW), and News Corp.'s (NWS) XMen set a Memorial Day weekend opener record. General Motors was downgraded by Deutsche Bank to sell and Henry Paulson is rumored to be Bush's choice to succeed John Snow for Treasury Secretary.

Here's a look at some key Blogging Stocks:

Google (GOOG) is down $1.45 in pre-market trading to $379.90 as of 8:15 a.m. The Boston Globe covers Google's impact on the ad market.

Microsoft (MSFT) is flat with last Friday's close at $23.72 as of 8:02 a.m. Ballmer is meeting with investors in New York and Boston this week.

Yahoo! (YHOO) is down 23 cents to $32.79 as of 8:08 a.m. this morning. Marketwatch looks at what Yahoo!'s deal with eBay means for China.

eBay (EBAY) is down 10 cents to of $34.10 as of 8:14 a.m. Following up on eBay radio will be PayPal Radio.