Ahead of the Tape
[Today's Market Forecast]</br></br>Prescription for the Market</br></br>Investors dodged a stock-market bullet yesterday, but still worry that trouble lurks around every corner. What will it take to turn things around? Unfortunately, there's no single event, but rather an accumulation of upbeat news.</br></br>Here's what has to happen to break the cycle:</br></br>Corporate earnings must improve. Wall Street wants proof that life is looking up. So far, 26 of the S&P 500 companies have reported results for the second quarter. Nineteen of those topped Wall Street's expectations. Two missed and five matched. Thomson/First Call expects that'll be the pattern this quarter, a potentially good sign for stocks, as earnings ultimately drive prices.