The markets open for trading today after a three day weekend and a brutal last week when the major indicies all lost more than 4% of their value. It was the worst week for the Dow and S & P 500 in 5 years, with the down falling a total of more than 500 points.

Friday's loss came as President Bush failed to convince wall street his economic stimulus plan can avert a recession. Here's how things start out today:

The Dow Jones starts out at 12,099.
The Nasdaq starts out at 2,340.

Ahead this week it's all about earnings as 4th quarter reporting season kicks into high gear. Among the bellwether's that'll release results -- Apple,JNJ, UALand Wachovia today, then Microsoft, eBay Ford Motor and Nokia later in the week.

For the latest updates, check out the online edition of Fortune by clicking here