NEW YORK (CNNfn) - Hundreds of corporate earnings reports. Pivotal economic indicators. And a record-setting initial public offering.
All that and more bombards investors at April's end, a week jammed with enough financial events to fill an entire month.
And when the dust settles, analysts will have a clear read on the strength of first-quarter earnings and a more focused take on the Federal Reserve's interest rate policy. The market's reception of a $10.4 billion IPO, meanwhile, could determine whether dozens of small companies go public in the weeks ahead.
"There's going to be a lot to filter through," said Brian Piskorowski, market analyst at Prudential Securities.
Some market recovery
Last week brought relief. The Nasdaq composite index rose 9.7 percent, reversing some of the 25 percent loss suffered over the prior five days.
The Dow Jones industrial average gained 5.2 percent, recovering most of a 7.2 percent drubbing the week before.
 But the nation's two most closely watched indexes are still down for the year. The Nasdaq is off 10 percent in 2000 while the Dow has shed 6 percent.
Given uncertainty over just how many interest rate hikes lie ahead, Prudential's Piskorowski doesn't see a full market recovery any time soon - despite expectations for more strong corporate earnings ahead.
"Choppy trade is here to stay at least for the next month until the market gets a handle on when the Fed is going to stop raising rates," he said.
A read on rates
The Fed has tightened credit five times since last June in an effort to slow the economy and ward off inflation.
 But the week's economic indicators could give Fed inflation fighters more reason to fret about rising prices, particularly Thursday. That day brings the release of data on employment costs and economic growth during the first three months of 2000. The employment cost index, a gauge said to be closely watched by Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan, is seen gaining 0.9 percent, according to economists polled by Reuters. The nation's gross domestic product, meanwhile, is forecast to have climbed a hefty 5.6 percent. That's well above the 3 percent growth rate that economist see as the Fed's target.
"I think (the GDP and ECI figures) will tell the market that the economy is not cooling much and that wage pressures are building," said Josh Stiles, bond strategist at IDEAglobal.com.
Stiles sees the fed tightening by a quarter of a percentage point in May followed by an identical hike in June. That would bring the government's benchmark lending rate to 6.50 percent, the highest in nearly ten years.
Earnings roll on
But if rate hike fears bludgeon the market, profit reports could temper the blow.
Some of the nation's biggest and best-known companies report earnings for the first three months of 2000 this week. And while results should be strong, investors have set the bar high, punishing companies that report even slight financial blemishes.
Among the closely watched names, auctioneer eBay (EBAY: Research, Estimates) is seen earning 3 cents per share, according to analysts surveyed by First Call/Thomson Financial, down from 4 cents in the year-ago period. Amazon.com (AMZN: Research, Estimates) is expected to lose 36 cents per share, wider than the 12-cent loss in the same period last year.
Dow components Merck & Co (MRK: Research, Estimates), Procter & Gamble (PG: Research, Estimates) and American Express (AXP: Research, Estimates) all post results. Merck and American Express are expected to post increased earnings. But profit at Procter & Gamble, the Dow's worst performing stocks in the first quarter, is forecast to fall from the year-ago period.
MCI WorldCom (COMS: Research, Estimates) and Nokia (NOK: Research, Estimates) should both show growing profit, according to First Call.
As of midday Thursday, more than half the S&P 500 companies have reported earnings. On average, they have beaten the Street's expectations by 6.4 percent. Results are coming in 21.2 percent above year ago levels.
AT&T readies wireless deal
AT&T this week is spinning off its wireless communications unit in a record $10.4 billion initial public offering.
The AT&T Wireless deal has analysts predicting the unit's strong name recognition and proven profitability could lead to a solid first-day pop.
"It's going to be a barnburner," said Jeffrey Hirschkorn, senior market analyst at IPO.com.
The deal comes as many IPOs have been postponed, hurt by tepid demand amid a slump in technology stocks. Analysts say a successful first-day performance could give underwriters the courage to re-test the IPO waters. 
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