They figure that at least three home builder companies will post profits by 2012, as start they ramping upsales starting in the fourth quarter of 2011.
Perhaps more important, it is still too early to tell how retailers fared in the run-up to Christmas and in the post-Christmas sales, their busiest times of the year.
Markets also will be eyeing news reports on the strength of post-Thanksgiving Black Friday holiday sales for signs of how the economy is holding up, Gero said.