begins this week and with options expiration on Friday it is almost certain to continue to be a very volatile trading environment. The charts below are of some of the more interesting (influential) companies due to report this week. Remember that news and surprises tend to follow the direction of the trend, but speculating on earnings reports is a very risky bet. It is not your interpretation of the headline which matters, but the market reaction to it. It is interesting that ABT and JNJ look setup for a break to highs not seen in at least the last 10 years. The only way I would consider playing any of these stocks before earnings is with options. The release day and time comes from www.briefing.com.