Stores were busy on Black Friday, as deals lured recession-weary consumers out of their homes. The spending was cautious, but the crowds and transactions signaled strength.

Nonetheless, retailers are still concerned that the momentum is only temporary. With consumer spending still under pressure because of high unemployment, there's a risk that holiday shopping may not reach the levels the stores would like to see. The day after Thanksgiving is usually the hottest of the year and can account for close to 20% of annual retail sales.

It has definitely been a rocky earnings season so far. We have seen our fair share of surprises... both positive and negative over the past few weeks, and tomorrow will be Cisco Systems (NASDAQ: CSCO)'s turn to report. The stock rose slightly today ahead of tomorrow's earnings, trading up 0.1 percent to $29.50 up 4 pennies.

Analysts are expecting to see the company show earnings tomorrow afternoon of 35 cents per share when it reports its fiscal fourth quarter numbers following the market close. If history is any indication, I would not be surprised to see the company at least match estimates for the quarter. Cisco has a very strong track record when it comes to earnings reports.

One analyst, Bill Choi from Jefferies and Co., told his clients that the company ended the year "on a strong note" and that he would not be surprised to see the company come in with estimate beating numbers for the quarter.

The company is going to report earnings shortly after the market closes tomorrow, and then will host its quarterly conference call starting at 4:30 PM EDT. We will be liveblogging tomorrow afternoon's call in its entirety, so be sure to check tomorrow afternoon for all the details on the company's quarter.

Michael Fowlkes has worked as a stock trader for seven years and spent the last two years working as an analyst for the online investment advisory service Investor's Observer.