(October 15, 2008)—Several big companies getting ready to release their third quarter earnings reports Wednesday.

Those, as well as a few key economic reports will likely decide how Wall Street will move in its third session of the week.

The market opens Wednesday morning with a modest loss compared to rollercoaster ride it experienced last week.

The Dow closed down almost 77 points, while the Nasdaq dropped 65.

Coca-Cola, Delta and American Airlines are among the companies getting ready to release third quarter numbers.

The most telling, perhaps may be the earnings reports filed by two major banks, J. P. Morgan Chase and Wells Fargo.

The Commerce Department reports on September sales, while the Labor Department releases the Producer Price Index. Later, a report is due on business inventories.

Finally, the Federal Reserve releases its "Beige Book", a regional round-up of economic conditions, prepared for the central bank's next policy-setting session.

The reports come out just as the government is planning to buy into big banks like J. P. Morgan Chase and Wells Fargo.

Administration officials plan to buy stocks and take partial ownership of banks to ease the credit crunch.

President Bush says the plan is not intended to take over the free market, but to preserve it.