(MONEY Magazine) – November

15-23 TECH STOCK EARNINGS REPORTS Many members of this volatile sector (including Hewlett-Packard, Lycos, Intuit and Infoseek) will be reporting third-quarter earnings. Several have seen their estimates slashed, says Mitch Zacks of Zacks Investment Management.

30 CONSUMER CONFIDENCE SURVEY After rising to all-time highs this summer, the index--considered a harbinger of major economic shifts--has crept downward in each of the past three months. Y2K worries may spur even more slippage. The big question, says Mark Zandi of the Dismal Scientist website: "Will it cave?"

30 WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE This four-day Seattle conference, to be attended by trade ministers from 135 countries, will launch the agenda for international trade negotiations in the 21st century. Mike Moore, the new WTO chief (and former Australian president) expects the event to be "quite lively." On the table: e-commerce, intellectual property and dumping, as well as agricultural tariffs and genetically altered foods.

--JUDY FELDMAN