After seven months of one of the strongest rallies in history, the stock market is showing signs of faltering. From here on out through the rest of 2009, I believe the advance will shift gears, and instead of recording new highs every month, the trend will tend to flatten.

And as we head into the heart of the fourth quarter, I wouldn't bet on the market making many more new highs this year.

Coca-Cola Company (KO) is in a very orderly advance, and its recent pullback gives a good opportunity to position yourself in this blue chip stock.

Note the turning fast-line of the stochastic, which should give a buy signal shortly.

Dr Pepper Snapple Group Inc. (NYSE: DPS) -- which includes A&W, Hawaiian Punch, Welch's, 7UP, Clamato, Margaritaville, and Yoo-Hoo among its diverse beverage offerings -- is scheduled to discuss its third-quarter 2009 financial results in a conference call Thursday at 11:00 AM ET, hosted by CEO Larry Young and CFO John Stewart. You can catch the live webcast of the call and accompanying slide presentation on the company's website.

During the three months that ended in September, Dr Pepper launched an energy drink and reaffirmed its full-year guidance. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters expect this Plano, Tex.-based bottler and distributor of nonalcoholic beverages to report that earnings for that period rose 8.2% from a year ago to $0.49 per share. However, revenue for the quarter is expected to be 4.2% lower to $1.4 billion.

Here are some highlights from last week's earnings coverage from BloggingStocks:

• Altria Group Inc. (NYSE: MO) Q3 earnings beat by a penny but sales fell short of expectations; shares fell.
• AMR Corp. (NYSE: AMR) reported a Q3 net loss and plunging revenue but also raised $4 billion in cash.
• BB&T Corp. (NYSE: BBT) topped Q3 earnings expectations but said bad-loan provisions nearly doubled.
• Boeing Co. (NYSE: BA) missed estimates and posted a Q3 loss due to delays for a couple of jet products.
• Capital One Financial Corp. (NYSE: COF) shares rose after it reported better-than-expected Q3 numbers.
• Coca-Cola Co. (NYSE: KO) posted a better-than-expected Q3 profit but sales fell short, and shares fell.

Soft drink giant Coca-Cola Co. (NYSE: KO) reported its third quarter numbers this morning, and managed to beat out analyst estimates, but shares are still selling off in early morning trading.

The reason why the market is punishing the stock is because its revenues were softer than analysts had been expecting to see. For the quarter, revenues came in at $8.04 billion, which was shy of the $8.11 billion that Wall Street was expecting to see from the company.

Soft drink giant The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) will be reporting its third quarter numbers tomorrow before the market opens.

The last time that Coca-Cola reported earnings was back in July when the company beat out analyst estimates by 3 pennies with a reported 92 cents per share. For the third quarter, analysts are expecting to the see the company show earnings of 81 cents per share.

Since the stock market bottomed in March of this year, it has been firing on all cylinders -- except for those in the auto industry who manufacture the most cylinders of course. This year has not been kind to them.

For months, many have been surprised at the rapid rise, given the level of unemployment. During this same period, Wall Streeters have been dancing up and down, looking forward to more bonuses.

As the number of unemployed has climbed and the period of same has lengthened, many have wondered how business could be improving during a time when the consumer (those still left) has transformed from spender to saver.

Here are some highlights from last week's earnings coverage from BloggingStocks:

• Alcoa Inc. (NYSE: AA) reported a surprise Q3 profit due to cost cutting; revenue topped estimates as well.
• Avis Budget Group Inc. (NYSE: CAR) said a proposed offering of $250 million in notes could reduce earnings.
• Clorox Co. (NYSE: CLX) earnings prospects garnered it an upgrade from one analyst.
• Coca-Cola Co. (NYSE: KO) earnings prospects resulted in an upgrade from one analyst.
• Costco Wholesale Corp. (NASDAQ: COST) lower Q4 earnings topped analysts' expectations, lifting shares.
• Family Dollar Stores Inc. (NYSE: FDO) higher Q4 earnings beat analysts' estimates but sales were just OK.

PepsiCo (NYSE: PEP) reported third-quarter data earlier today. The beverage company that despises Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO) with a passion called its numbers solid. I would tend to agree. The tables presented in the release won't go down in the history books, but for long-term shareholders, they were fine enough considering the economy.

Net revenue decreased 1.5%. Earnings per share on an adjusted basis increased 2% to $1.08. This bottom-line result is representative of a nice beat against the analysts. They were projecting $1.02 per share for profit, according to Elizabeth Harrow's preview of the quarter.

Muhtar Kent, CEO of The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO), took to the pages of The Wall Street Journal to argue against the government's proposed "fat tax" on soda. In a column titled "Coke Didn't Make America Fat," Kent noted that "our industry has become an easy target in this debate." However, he believes the sedentary lifestyle of Americans is to blame for our nation's obesity problem.

"If we're genuinely interested in curbing obesity, we need to take a hard look in the mirror and acknowledge that it's not just about calories in. It's also about calories out," wrote Kent. He also cited the "regressive nature and inherent illogic" of trying to rectify obesity by taxing soft drinks, observing that West Virginia and Arkansas -- two states which currently tax sodas -- are among the states with the highest obesity rates in the nation.

Analyst upgrades:

• Deutsche Bank upgraded Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO) to Buy from Hold on expectations that stable volumes and a better outlook for currency and commodities will lead to higher earnings visibility. The firm raised its price target on shares to $62 from $52.
• FBR Capital upgraded Goodrich (NYSE: GR) to Outperform from Market Perform as it finds the stock's valuation compelling following the recent pullback. The firm raised its target on shares to $65 from $46.
• William Blair upgraded Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) to Outperform from Market Perform after channel checks indicated demand is accelerating as the firm finds the stock's valuation compelling at current levels.
• Robbins & Myers (NYSE: RBN) was upgraded to Outperform from Neutral at Baird.
• Disney (NYSE: DIS) and Viacom B (NYSE: VIA.B) were upgraded to Neutral from Underperform at BofA/Merrill, while News Corp. (NASDAQ: NWS) was upgraded to Buy from Neutral.

Alcoa Inc. (NYSE: AA) kicks off another earnings season this week, and analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters are looking for another net loss for the third quarter. Can we take that as a sign of things to come, or as a bellwether for the economy? Well, barring a big downside surprise, this will be the third narrower quarterly loss for Alcoa. But while Alcoa beat estimates in July, it missed them in April. Alcoa's shares, on the other hand, are up 145.6% since the March low, which is well more than twice as much either the Dow or the S&P 500.

During its third quarter, New York-based Alcoa continued restructuring efforts, remained a part of the DJIA Sustainability Index, and declared a quarterly dividend. It is expected to report a net loss of $0.12 per share for the three months that ended in September. That compares to a profit of $0.37 in the same period of last year. Third-quarter revenue is forecast to have fallen 38.3% to $4.5 billion. Analysts so far expect to see a profit in the fourth quarter, but not for the full year. Alcoa has missed earnings expectations in three of the past four quarters. The long-term EPS growth forecast is 20.0%, again much better than the S&P 500. The First Call consensus recommendation is to hold AA; CNBC concurs that now is not the time to buy. At $12.82, shares are 30.0% higher than three months ago, but 33.4% lower than a year ago.

Analyst upgrades:

• FBR Capital upgraded U.S. Bancorp (NYSE: USB) and New York Community Bancorp (NYSE: NYB) to Market Perform from Underperform to reflect a new valuation framework. The firm raised its target on U.S. Bancorp to $21 from $14 and on New York Community Bancorp to $10 from $9.
• Stephens upgraded Insulet (NASDAQ: PODD) to Overweight from Equal Weight to reflect the company's top-line growth prospects and reasonable expectations. The firm raised its target on shares to $14 from $8.
• Baird upgraded Athenahealth (NASDAQ: ATHN) to Outperform from Neutral and raised its target to $46 from $37 based on expectations for revenue and gross margin expansion, and relative valuation.
• Broadcom (NASDAQ: BRCM) was upgraded to Overweight from Equal Weight at Barclays.
• Phillips-Van Heusen (NYSE: PVH) was upgraded to Buy from Neutral at BofA/Merrill.
• Reliant Energy (NYSE: RRI) was upgraded to Conviction Buy from Neutral at Goldman.

The past two years have been terrible for private equity firms. But, now we're seeing signs of life.

If fact, this week there was a liquidity event. That is, the Blackstone Group (NYSE: BX) and Lion Capital have received a binding offer to sell Orangina Schweppes to Suntory (a major Japanese drinks company). It appears that the price tag comes to $3.82 billion.

As a Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO) shareholder, I was quite unnerved by recent talk centering on the issue of a soda tax. I'm sure PepsiCo (NYSE: PEP) shareholders were likewise frightened. According to Bloomberg, President Barack Obama is apparently open to the concept. In theory, funds generated from such a tax could be used to help defray the costs associated with a new health-care paradigm.

Besides raising money, what would be the justification behind such a governmental strategy? Well, excess sugar consumption can be dangerous. It can lead to all kinds of complications. You know the drill: obesity, diabetes, etc. When health issues like those rise, the cost of health care increases as well.