Forget banks, keep an eye on trucks

By Paul R. La Monica, CNNMoney
2009-4-10 11:58:45

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Earnings take center stage next week and everybody's going to be focused on how the banks will do.

Wells Fargo (WFC, Fortune 500) ignited a monstrous stock-market rally Thursday after it announced that first-quarter profits would be much stronger than expected. Now investors are hoping that other banking giants, such as JPMorgan Chase (JPM, Fortune 500) and Citigroup (C, Fortune 500), will also beat the Street.

If so, that could be a sign that the worst is finally over for the beleaguered banking sector. And that would be great news for the markets and economy, with more loans available for homes and cars or to start businesses.

But investors might be wise to take a look at another sector that's equally important and actually is a more reliable indicator of rebounds. I'm talking about the transportation sector.

	Investment Basic Investment Overview Investment Approache Fundamentals Data Investment Stories www.fxj108.com	Forget banks, keep an eye on trucks By Paul R. La Monica, CNNMoney 2009-4-10 11:58:45 NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Earnings take center stage next week and everybody's going to be focused on how the banks will do. Wells Fargo (WFC, Fortune 500) ignited a monstrous stock-market rally Thursday after it announced that first-quarter profits would be much stronger than expected. Now investors are hoping that other banking giants, such as JPMorgan Chase (JPM, Fortune 500) and Citigroup (C, Fortune 500), will also beat the Street. If so, that could be a sign that the worst is finally over for the beleaguered banking sector. And that would be great news for the markets and economy, with more loans available for homes and cars or to start businesses. But investors might be wise to take a look at another sector that's equally important and actually is a more reliable indicator of rebounds. I'm talking about the transportation sector.