“Wall Street is hoping that this week’s cascade of corporate earnings reports will help the markets overcome an October scare prompted by increasing concerns that economic growth could skid to a halt,” reports The Associated Press.

“Investors are still worried that the economy may not be able to sustain itself if high gasoline and heating costs prompt consumers to spend less just as companies opt to raise prices to cover their own rising costs.

“It’s all but certain that the consumer will indeed have to cut back somewhat or else fall deeper into debt, and energy prices aren’t likely to fall substantially in the near future. So it falls to America’s corporations to reassure Wall Street with third-quarter earnings reports and, more importantly, their forecasts for the fourth quarter and 2006.”