Hello friends and Fortune readers,
Techies have more than enough to keep them busy for the next seven days starting with Internet Week in New York. The event, a fiesta of fireside chats, presentations, and, yes, self-promotion, is just one of many conferences taking place. Oh, and if you really want to nerd out, you can celebrate the third anniversary of Facebook’s initial public offering. A number of big retail companies are also taking center stage in reporting their earnings including Walmart (WMT), Home Depot (FB) and Target. In the entertainment world, make sure to tune your television to David Letterman’s last act on CBS. Be sure to check out Fortune.com coverage daily for the latest in business news and for write-ups and analysis of the companies reporting this week.
Here’s what you need to know to start your week.
1. Walmart and other retailers report earnings
It’s a packed week for retailers. The biggest of them all, Walmart, leads the way by reporting earnings Tuesday morning as does Home Depot (HD). On Wednesday, Target (TGT) reports its financials along with Lowe’s (L) and Dollar Tree (DLTR). On Thursday afternoon, keep an eye out for Gap (GPS) .
In other earnings news, Hewlett-Packard (HPQ) earnings will come out on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Campbell Soup (CPB) issues its report on Friday morning.
2. Facebook celebrates year three of going public
Three years ago on Monday, Facebook (FB) went public to mixed reviews because of trading snafu by Nasdaq. At the time, Fortune’s Adam Lashinsky wrote: “It’s a strange world we live in when a financing event that raised $16 billion for an eight-year-old company is widely panned as a failure.” He added, “It’s even odder when tongues wag that the young CEO of that same company, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, should be fired because of the company’s lousy reception in the public markets and his general disregard for the investing public.” He added that Facebook didn’t even have to go public. But it did. Since then, the social networking giant’s shares have risen from $38 to a current value of over $80 as of market close Friday.
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3. David Letterman ends his run at CBS
David Letterman will end his 20-year run on the Late Show Wednesday. The obvious question is how will his replacement, Stephen Colbert, fare with television ratings? Letterman has a big contingent of loyal fans. Will they switch their allegiance to Colbert, the comedic giant who hosted The Colbert Report on s from Comedy Central?
4. Internet Week and other tech conferences
The number of tech conferences taking place isn’t slowing down. The last few weeks have been packed with them, and so is the week ahead. Look out for Internet Week to take hold of New York City from Monday to Sunday, featuring the Federal Trade Commission head, Julie Brill, along with Chelsea Clinton and executives from a legion of startups striving to be the next big thing. There’s also the CMX Summit, starting Monday in New York City; the Wearable World Congress in San Francisco, beginning Tuesday; and the Code Conference, beginning Wednesday in Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif.
5. Spotify steals the show from Apple
Hoping to steal some attention ahead of Apple’s (AAPL) unveiling of its upcoming, but delayed, Beats music streaming service, Spotify has scheduled a press conference Wednesday. Details have yet to emerge, although a leak suggest that it could add video, according to the Wall Street Journal. The invitations simply read, “We’ve got some news.” Check out Fortune.com that day to find out what kind.
For more about Apple, watch this Fortune video:
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