Investors battered by surging energy prices, disappointing economic data and the ongoing credit crisis will have something else to worry about this week - second-quarter corporate results.

The unofficial start to earnings season takes place Tuesday when aluminum producer Alcoa Inc. posts results. General Electric Co. on Friday will also be among the companies reporting.

The pair of Dow Jones industrials could give Wall Street a glimpse of what to expect when hundreds of other companies report results throughout the month. Not only are investors concerned that companies can't beat already lowered expectations, but they'll also be focused, undoubtedly with some skepticism, on what corporate executives forecast for the second half of 2008.

"The earnings, which are a reflection of the economy in general, have been going down and unfortunately there's a lot of concern it will go down a lot more," said Howard Silverblatt, Standard & Poor's senior index analyst. "How long can they continue through the storm? Nobody believes the 'worst is behind us' comments from the CEOs because they can't predict where this economy is going."

Earnings from members of the S&P 500 are forecast to be down 10 percent for the second quarter. The nation's banks and brokerages are likely to lead the pullback with another disappointing quarter.

Companies like Merrill Lynch & Co. and Citigroup Inc. are again expected to write off billions of dollars of assets rendered nearly worthless because of the global credit crisis. Since last year, banks have written down nearly $300 billion - and that is not expected to let up.

Financial stocks last year contributed $60.7 billion of earnings to the overall S&P, and this time around the number is expected at $24.6 billion, according to S&P. And, in a demonstration of how dominant financials are, Silverblatt said earnings for the S&P 500 would rise 9 percent during the second quarter if banks and brokers were stripped out of it.

Wall Street finished last week with another decline, with the Dow Jones industrials down 0.51 percent, the Standard & Poor's 500 index down 1.21 percent and the Nasdaq composite index down 3.01 percent. While that was a less steep drop compared to the week before, investors clearly are showing dissatisfaction with the economy - especially higher energy prices.

Investors are expected to remain anxious this week as crude oil approaches $150 a barrel. On Thursday, oil touched a trading high of nearly $146 before it settled at a record $145.29.

The approximately 50 percent jump in the price of oil this year has weighed on both businesses and consumers and posed a challenge to Federal Reserve policymakers who are trying to keep the economy out of a prolonged downturn.

Low interest rates have weakened the dollar, which has in turn made oil more expensive. Now, with consumers forced to pay more at the gas pump, Wall Street is worried about a broad slowdown in spending - a serious blow to the economy as consumer spending accounts for more than two-thirds of U.S. economic activity.

Investors will be looking to a light flow of economic data next week for insights into how surging energy costs are affecting the economy.

On Tuesday, the National Association of Realtors reports on pending sales of existing homes. The May index is expected to come in at 87.0, according to the median estimate of economists surveyed last Wednesday by Thomson Financial/IFR. That would be down from a reading of 88.2 in April.

On Thursday, the Labor Department releases its weekly reading on unemployment claims. Economists anticipate a slight rise of 1,000 to 385,000.

On Friday, the University of Michigan releases its preliminary reading on July consumer sentiment. Economists expect the index to slide to 56.0 from 56.4 in June.

Also Friday, the Commerce Department reports on the U.S. trade deficit. After increasing to $60.9 billion in April, the trade gap is expected to have widened again in May to $62.3 billion.

---

AP Business Writers Tim Paradis and Madlen Read contributed to this report.

Even as Wall Street skids lower almost by the day, and the major indexes have touched the levels of a bear market, some analysts are actually finding some signs in the performance of small-company stocks that might be pointing to the early stages of a much broader recovery.

At least five Wall Street firms warned Massachusetts officials - but not most individual investors - before February's collapse in the market for a type of bond that many had viewed as safe investments, The Boston Globe reported Thursday.

The New York Times on Monday received three Loeb Awards, among the highest honors in business journalism, while Fortune magazine's Allan Sloan won his seventh Loeb Award.

Wall Street ended a grueling first half quietly Monday, closing mixed as investors again based their trades on what has become the dominant force in the market: the price of oil. The major indexes closed out the first six months of 2008 with double digit declines, and are perilously close to the levels of a bear market.

Stocks that moved substantially or traded heavily Monday on the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq Stock Market:

Wall Street ended an arduous first half quietly Monday, closing mixed as investors again based their trades on what has become the dominant force in the market: the price of oil. The major indexes closed out the first six months of 2008 with double digit declines, and are perilously close to the levels of a bear market.

Wall Street headed to a quiet end to an arduous first half Monday, with investors again basing their trades on what is now the dominant force in the market: the price of oil. The major indexes are ending the first six months of 2008 with double digit declines, and are perilously close to the levels of a bear market.

Stocks rose Monday, the final session of an arduous first half, as the price of oil pulled off its high and relieved some inflation worries.

Stocks fluctuated Monday as investors contended with another spike in oil prices that fanned fresh concerns about inflation.