We'll talk about earnings,

talk about access to credit,

and we'll talk about cute storybook cottages.

From American public media, this is Marketplace. place. New York, I'm Kristen Schwab in for Kyra's doll. It's Monday, October 21st, thanks for joining.

This week's corporate earnings calendar is very full. We'll hear from 3M, Coca-Cola,

Tesla, IBM, and some 1,600 other companies on how they did in the most recent quarter.

There's always a consumer focus in these reports.

Analysts will be listening for whether people are still spending. But another theme that's likely to come up is the value of the US dollar and how that impacts company's profits.

For some foreshadowing, last week Proctor and Gamble said it's more optimistic about foreign

exchange than it was earlier in the year.

And as Marketplace's Justin Ho reports, the dollar's value could help out a lot of companies in the near future.

Companies care about the dollar's value because when it rises, it affects their sales overseas.

Ultimately, a strong dollar makes that weak in terms of revenue.

That's Dan Ives, managing director with Wedbush securities.

He says those companies have to bring that revenue back home.

And if the dollar is strong, those foreign sales just don't go as far back in the US.

That's something that ultimately becomes a headwind for companies with a stronger dollar.

The dollar's value shot up back when the Federal Reserve started raising interest rates

in 2022.

Back then, the U.S. economy was hot, and foreign investors were piling in the government bonds which you need

dollars to buy. But Nick Benenbrooke, international economists with Wells Fargo, says

now? We're seeing somewhat slower job growth, somewhat slower economic growth, and the US

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