So, the unemployment rate sank below 9% in February, but investors didn't seem to be impressed by that. The Dow, Nasdaq and S&P 500 all fell on Friday over concerns about how the ongoing unrest in the Middle East might affect energy prices, and thus the economic recovery.

Will this coming week's economic calendar offer anything likely to bring excitement to the markets? Here's what's on tap:

• Monday: Consumer credit numbers for January
• Tuesday: Weekly chain store sales, TIPP Economic Optimism Index

After a week full of mixed economic data taking its toll on the markets, things will settle down somewhat this coming week.

• Monday: Fed releases October data on consumer credit outstanding.
• Tuesday: TIPP Economic Optimism Index is due.
• Wednesday: Labor Dept. offers initial jobless claims numbers for last week, EIA's crude oil inventory last week, October wholesale trade numbers from the Census Bureau.
• Friday: Trade balance data for October, Bureau of Labor Statistics releases its Import Price Index for November, preliminary Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index is due, and the Treasury Dept. releases the federal budget balance in November.

Last week, the Fed's Beige Book report confirmed that the economy continues to grow, but at a slower pace than in previous periods. This week will bring plenty of economic data to either support or contrast with the Fed's findings.

• Monday: Federal government budget balance for August
• Tuesday: Business inventory numbers from July, TIPP Economic Optimism Index for September, retail sales data from August
• Wednesday: Industrial production in August, Empire State Manufacturing Survey for September, Import Price Index for August
• Thursday: Producer Price Index for August, Philly Fed Survey for September, the Current Account Balance in the second quarter, jobless claims for last week
• Friday: preliminary University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index, Consumer Price Index for August, real earnings data for August

After the crunch of quarterly reports over the past two weeks, things will be fairly quiet on the earnings front Monday. Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters expect Allergan (AGN), Loews (L) and Vulcan Materials (VMC) to report higher second quarter earnings, compared to a year ago. Oshkosh (OSK) is anticipated to have swung to a profit from a year-ago loss, and Humana (HUM) is expected to post earnings per share (EPS) about the same as last year.

The crush of quarterly reports is back on come Tuesday, with Coach (COH), Harris (HRS), MasterCard (MA), Molson Coors (TAP), Pfizer (PFE), Priceline.com (PCLN) and Whole Foods (WFMI) among those expected to post earnings growth. The highlight of the day though may be Parker Hannifin's (PH) fiscal fourth-quarter results.

The earnings crunch rolls on this coming week, and the analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters are looking for strong quarterly results from the likes of Avon (AVP), Coinstar (CSTR), Corning (GLW), DuPont (DD), MetLife (MET), Norfolk Southern (NSC), Northrop Grumman (NOC), Royal Dutch Shell (RDS.A) and many others. In fact, Broadcom (BRCM), Chevron (CVX) and Southwest Airlines (LUV) are expected to have doubled their second-quarter earnings per share compared to a year ago.

The three months that ended in June saw Southwest Airlines celebrate the 39th anniversary of its founding, and it also declared a quarterly dividend. Analysts expect the Dallas-based no-frills carrier to report that second-quarter earnings came to 27 cents a share, a 70.4% rise from a year earlier. Revenue for the period is expected to have grown 20.4% to $3.2 billion. So far, analysts predict similar earnings and revenue numbers for the third quarter. But earnings results were better than expected in the past four quarters, beating consensus estimates by as much as 47%.

The calendar quarter winds down this week, and in the days leading up to the Independence Day holiday in the U.S., Apollo Group Inc. (APOL) is expected to be an earnings winner. General Mills (GIS) and Monsanto (MON) are scheduled to report quarterly results this week as well, but analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters expect them to post smaller profits.

Analysts on average expect for-profit education provider Apollo Group to report that its fiscal third-quarter earnings rose 18.7% from a year ago to $1.55 per share. Revenue for the three months that ended in May is expected to have risen 23.2% in the past year to $1.3 billion. Apollo Group's per-share earnings have topped consensus estimates in the past five quarters, by as much as 13 cents per share. The First Call recommendation of analysts is to buy APOL and has been for more than 90 days. Shares have fallen 28.6% in the past three months and reached a 52-week low of $43.49 on Friday.

Among the coming week's most prominent quarterly reports are those from Oracle Corp. (ORCL), Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. (BBBY) and Nike Corp. (NKE). Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters are looking for healthy year-over-year earnings and revenue growth from each of them.

Analysts on average expect enterprise software giant Oracle to report that its fiscal fourth-quarter earnings rose 14.8% from a year ago to $0.54 per share. Revenue for the three months that ended in May is expected to have risen about 38.1% in the past year to $9.5 billion. Oracle's per-share earnings have not fallen short of consensus estimates in the past five quarters. The First Call recommendation of 37 analysts is to buy ORCL and has been for more than 90 days. Shares have retreated recently from the 52-week high of $26.63 and closed the week at $23.20.

Both Walmart (WMT) and BJ's Wholesale Club (BJ) reported strong quarterly results last week, suggesting that discount retailers are still doing well even as the economy seems to be coming around. This week, Costco (COST) and Big Lots (BIG) take their turns in the earnings spotlight, and analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters expect a strong showing from them as well.

And we'll round out this preview of the coming week with a look at expectations for AutoZone (AZO), Canada's big banks, and Trina Solar (TSL).

After the closing bell sounded last night, Ohio-based utilities firm American Electric Power (NYSE: AEP) issued news that should have a profound impact on the stock in today's trading session. The company lowered its earnings forecast for fiscal 2009 thanks to current operating and economic factors, along with dilution from its planned issuance of new equity. AEP also lowered its capital spending plant for fiscal 2010 and will not provide guidance for 2010 or beyond.

The company now expects fourth-quarter earnings between $2.75 and $3.05 per share, which is lower than the earlier estimate of $3.00 to $3.40 per share. Expectations call for earnings of $3.14 per share on a full-year basis.

Was the optimism observed in last week's preview post rewarded? Well, as it turned out there were few negative surprises from the companies listed there, really just Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (NYSE: AMD) and narrow misses from Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) and Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT).

Again this week, in a list of earnings expectations for some prominent companies in a variety of sectors, we see an apparent optimism. That is, analysts are anticipating more earnings growth than earnings declines.

Analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial expect the following companies to report a rise in earnings when compared to the same period of the previous year.

• Newmont Mining Corp. (NYSE: NEM): $0.48 EPS (50.0%) on sales of $1.5 billion (+15.7%)
• Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN): $0.26 EPS (26.9%) on sales of $4.0 billion (+37.1%)
• Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE: CAT): $1.54 EPS (19.5%) on sales of $12.7 billion (+11.7%)
• McDonald's Corp. (NYSE: MCD): $0.86 EPS (17.4%) on sales of $5.9 billion (-1.5%)
• ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP): $3.41 EPS (15.0%) on sales of $198.6 billion (+319.3%)
• Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL): $1.08 EPS (14.8%) on sales of $7.4 billion (+36.0%)
• Halliburton Co. (NYSE: HAL): $0.68 EPS (11.8%) on sales of $4.3 billion (+13.7%)
• Texas Instruments Inc. (NYSE: TXN): $0.46 EPS (8.7%) on sales of $3.4 billion (-1.1%)
• Yahoo Inc. (NASDAQ: YHOO): $0.12 EPS (8.3%) on sales of $1.4 billion (+10.5%)
• AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T): $0.76 EPS (7.9%) on sales of $31.2 billion (+5.7%)
• PepsiCo Inc. (NYSE: PEP): $1.02 EPS (7.8%) on sales of $10.5 billion (+9.4%)
• Anheuser-Busch Companies Inc. (NYSE: BUD): $0.93 EPS (6.5%) on sales of $4.7 billion (+4.2%)
• Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE): $0.54 EPS (22.2%) on sales of $11.5 billion (+3.5%)
• 3M Co. (NYSE: MMM): $1.35 EPS (8.9%) on sales of $6.7 billion (+9.0%)
• Merck & Co. (NYSE: MRK): $0.83 EPS (1.2%) on sales of $6.0 billion (-1.2%)