The Wall Street Journal-20080201-Today-s Agenda

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Today's Agenda

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Payroll Data to Shed Light

On State of Labor Market

The pace of hiring is expected to have picked up in January, but much uncertainty surrounds the release of payrolls and unemployment data after a big increase in Americans filing for jobless benefits last week renewed recession fears. Labor Department, 8:30 a.m. EST.

OPEC, Oil Giants Watch

Direction of U.S. Economy

OPEC meets in Vienna and is widely expected to shrug off calls to pump more oil. Looking ahead, a slowing U.S. economy could hurt consumption and pressure the cartel to cut output.

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Exxon Mobil and Chevron are forecast to post higher earnings, but easing oil demand could put a dent in their profit prospects.