U.S. stock futures are slightly higher this morning, as investors await economic data. Futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 12 points to 12,182, while futures on the S&P 500 index rose 1.3 points to 1,311.30. Nasdaq 100 futures climbed 6.75 points to 2,323.75.

U.S. stocks closed higher on Friday, with the Dow Jones industrial average gaining 50 points to 12,221, the Standard & Poor's 500 Index rising 4 points to 1,314 and the Nasdaq Composite Index climbing 7 points to 2,743.

U.S. stock futures are lower Monday morning as China lifted its key lending and deposit rates on Christmas Day. Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 28 points to 11,494.00 and those for the S&P 500 index fell 3.60 points to 1,249.40. Futures for the Nasdaq 100 index dipped 2.25 points to 2,228.25.

U.S. stock markets closed mixed on Thursday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average gaining 0.12%. However, the Nasdaq Composite and S&P 500 indexes dropped on Thursday. Wall Street was closed Friday for Christmas Eve.

No major economic data are due to be released today.

Even as the year winds to a close this week, there are still a handful of economic releases on the schedule. Starting out on Monday, the Chicago Fed releases its Midwest Manufacturing Index for November.

Tuesday brings the final Consumer Confidence Index of the year, as well as the S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Index for October, the Richmond Fed's Business Surveys, and a look at chain store sales for the week leading up to Christmas.

Data on last week's initial jobless claims will be released on Thursday. And then Friday brings the New York NAPM Index and the Chicago Purchasing Managers Index.

Analyst Upgrades

• Piper Jaffray upgraded Edwards Lifesciences (EW) to overweight from neutral and raised its target price for shares to $77 from $53 after The New England Journal of Medicine reported the company's PARTNER Trial met primary endpoints.
• UBS upgraded Endo Pharmaceuticals (ENDP) to buy from neutral and raised its price target to $36 from $25. UBS is positive on Endo's creative strategic deals and believes the switch to Opana TRF from Opana ER will be easy. Additionally, the analyst believes pipeline expectations are very low.
• BMO Capital upgraded Nvidia (NVDA) to outperform from market perform based on expectations that share loss in the core GPU business will stop, Tegra momentum and valuation. The firm raised its price target to $16 from $9.
• FirstEnergy (FE) and Allegheny Energy (AYE) were upgraded to outperform from neutral at Credit Suisse.
• Mylan (MYL) was upgraded to conviction buy from buy at Goldman. Warner
• Chilcott (WCRX) was upgraded to overweight from equal weight at Morgan Stanley.

Here are some highlights from this past week's earnings coverage on BloggingStocks:

• Acuity Brands Inc. (AYI) Q2 results were essentially flat but an analyst's upgraded helped boost shares.
• Borders Group Inc. (BGP) reported strong Q4 earnings due to cost cutting but revenue continued to decline.
• Cal-Maine Foods Inc. (CALM) received an analyst's downgrade on valuation following release of its Q3 report.
• CarMax Inc. (KMX) rose to a new 52-week high following better-than-expected Q4 earnings and sales results.
• Charming Shoppes Inc. (CHRS) posted a smaller-than-expected Q4 net loss and said same-store sales declined.

Analyst Upgrades

• Apollo Group (APOL) was upgraded to sector perform from underperform at RBC Capital. The firm has a $75 target on the stock.
• JPMorgan raised Westlake Chemical (WLK) to overweight from neutral.
• Morgans Hotel (MHGC) was upgraded to outperform from market perform at JMP Securities.

On Monday, Cal-Maine Foods Inc. (CALM) reported second quarter earnings of $0.67 per share, which topped the consensus estimate by a penny per share. But Cal-Maine said revenues fell 3.8% from a year ago to $229.23 million, falling short of estimates.

"Our feed costs were down for the quarter, which improved our profitability," CEO Fred Adams Jr. said. "However, food service and restaurant sales continued to be slow, reflecting economic trends."

Cal-Maine Foods Inc. (CALM) is about the only company of note scheduled to release earning results in what will otherwise be a very quiet week between the holidays.

The three months that ended in November saw the poultry industry embroiled in an environment-related lawsuit, and Cal-Maine also ended its streak of special dividends when it reported a first-quarter loss.

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

• Accenture Ltd. (NYSE: ACN) lower Q4 earnings met analysts' expectations but the Q1 outlook was weak.
• Cal-Maine Foods Inc. (NASDAQ: CALM) posted a Q1 net loss and said it will skip its dividend this quarter.
• Cephalon Inc. (NASDAQ: CEPH) earnings prospects for 2010 resulted in an analyst's downgrade.
• Darden Restaurants Inc. (NYSE: DRI) Q1 earnings beat by a penny but revenue fell short of estimates.
• Gannett Inc. (NYSE: GCI) shares rose after it forecast Q3 earnings above Wall Street estimates.

Cal-Maine Foods (NASDAQ: CALM - option chain) stock is trading slightly lower today after the company announced Q1 results this morning, posting a loss of 0.16 per share. Total losses for the egg farmer were $3.8M. CALM, which has had a 2% yield over the past year will skip paying a dividend this quarter because of the loss. If you think this stock won't be rising too far in the coming months, then it could be a good time to look at a bearish hedged play on CALM.

This morning, CALM opened at $25.60. So far today the stock has hit a high of $27.89 and a low of $24.90. As of 11:55, CALM is trading at $27.72, down 6 cents (-0.2%). The chart for CALM looks bearish.

Autumn has arrived and the quarter winds down this week. The Dow has been inching toward 10,000 for a while now, though it closed lower in the past three sessions. Can it make it to 10,000 for the start of the third quarter? If so, what will push it higher? If not, what will drag it down further?

• Monday is Yom Kippur, the most solemn of the Jewish holidays; trading likely will be lighter than usual. In the evening, the FDIC meets to discuss how to rebuild the Bank Deposit Insurance Fund.
• Tuesday, the Consumer Confidence Index for September is due and the SEC holds a public meeting to consider more short sale actions.

An update: a decision to close two short positions - due to the probability of higher-than-expected U.S. GDP growth in Q3/Q4, and the impact that better economic recovery would have on consumer spending.

The two closed positions: Panera Bread (NASDAQ: PNRA), recommended on May 29, 2009 at a price of $52.65, and Cal-Maine Foods (NYSE: CALM), recommended on the same day at a price of $23.21.

In the most recent edition of Barron's, fund manager Scott Black touted shares of Cal-Maine Foods (NASDAQ: CALM), the country's largest egg producer, as a stock worth buying. The company generates a return on equity of over 30%, and Black said that at just over 5x earnings, the stock is extraordinarily cheap. When the market revalues Cal-Maine at "just eight times [next year's estimated] earnings, you've got a $38.50 stock." Shares of CALM, which closed Friday at $22.90, were up to $24.86 by Wednesday morning.

I'm familiar with Cal-Maine, having been introduced to the company more than a year ago when it was the focus of a presentation at the Boston College Investment Club. Last summer, I spoke with the company's CFO, Tim Dawson, who gave me a much better understanding of the egg business. Though I came away convinced that Cal-Maine is in very capable hands, I believed then -- as I still do now -- that the stock is not a buy. Here's why.

Investor and trader Mishko Janusevich had a mantra that he used to repeat while outlining the top, new stock shorts that appeared that day, as determined by technical indicators.

He would stand next to the overhead projected stock chart at the front of the trading room, point to the stock chart and recite, "You see this stock? You see that it's dropped $8 in past two days? You think it can't drop any more? SELL THAT STOCK it's dropping more!!"

Short these shares if you can tolerate high-risk and are an experienced investor that does not remove Buy/Stop Losses.

It was a quiet week, but here are highlights from this past week's earnings coverage from BloggingStocks:

• Amgen Inc. (NASDAQ: AMGN) earnings growth prospects for 2009 make the stock worth a look.
• Big Lots Inc. (NYSE: BIG) offered no 2009 guidance but may benefit from bankruptcies of other retailers.
• Cal-Maine Foods Inc. (NASDAQ: CALM) Q2 earnings fell more than expected but revenue rose.
• Chevron Corp. (NYSE: CVX) said it will soon post preliminary Q4 results in the face of falling oil prices.
• Piedmont Natural Gas Co. Inc. (NYSE: PNY) reported a widened Q4 loss while revenue improved.
• Take-Two Interactive Software Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO) earnings prospects may make the stock a bargain.

Also, a survey indicated that U.S. corporate profits in the fourth quarter probably fell for the sixth straight quarter. Interest cuts haven't helped bank earnings, will the Fed buying mortgage-backed securities do better? And, are food stocks still a defensive play?

Upcoming earnings releases include Bed Bath & Beyond (NASDAQ: BBBY), Constellation Brands (NYSE: STZ), Family Dollar (NYSE: FDO), and Monsanto (NYSE: MON).

Visit AOL Money & Finance for more earnings coverage.