• We start off right away Monday morning with the ISM Index. This is the king of all manufacturing indices and is considered the single best snapshot of the factory sector.       
   
• On Tuesday, the markets will see reports on Personal Spending and Personal Income, as well as the Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) Index, which is the Fed's favorite gauge of inflation.  
   
• The big topic of the economic reports this week will be the labor market. First up is the ADP National Employment Report on Wednesday, which measures non-farm private employment.  
   
• The ADP report will be followed by another round of Initial Jobless Claims on Thursday. In last week's report, Initial Jobless Claims broke below the 400,000 mark for the first time in 16 weeks! I'll be looking forward to this week's report to see if that trend continues. 
   
• Finally, the busy week culminates in the all-important Jobs Report on Friday. This report features new data regarding Non-Farm Payrolls, the Average Work Week, Hourly Earnings and the Unemployment Rate. Needless to say, this report can be a big market mover!   

     Remember: Weak economic news normally causes money to flow out of Stocks and into Bonds, helping Bonds and home loan rates improve, while strong economic news normally has the opposite result. 

     As you can see in the chart below, Mortgage Bonds and home loan rates finished strong at the end of last weekend, as uncertainty had investors opt for the safe haven provided by Bonds. I'll be watching closely to see how the ongoing Debt Ceiling debate and the after shock impacts Bonds and home loan rates.       

How to Cut Cooling Costs in a Heat Wave

These eight tips will help keep your electric bill under control.

By Cameron Huddleston, Kiplinger.com

It is hot outside. Too hot to even go to the pool because the water's so warm that it doesn't cool you down. So what do you do if you live in a part of the nation taking a beating from this heat wave? You retreat indoors and crank up the AC. Then you gasp when you see the electric bill and start looking for possessions to pawn to pay it.

Keeping cool doesn't have to bankrupt you, though. Edison Electric Institute (EEI), the association of shareholder-owned electric companies, offers these eight simple, no-cost tips to help you keep your electric bill under control this summer: 

Set the thermostat at 78 degrees or higher when you're home. That's where I keep my thermostat set, and I feel comfortable at home all day -- even when the heat index outside is in the triple digits. When no one is home, turn up the thermostat to 85 degrees. You'll save 1% to 2% on cooling costs for each degree you raise your thermostat, according to EEI. And be sure to clean your air filter every 30 days to keep your air-conditioning system working efficiently. 

Close the curtains or shades on any south- or west-facing windows to save 2% to 4% on cooling costs. 

Turn on ceiling and table fans then raise the thermostat setting about four degrees -- you'll still feel cool. Make sure ceiling fans are turning counterclockwise and use them only when you're in the room. 

Shut doors to unused rooms and close any air supply vents inside them to reduce cooling costs up to 3%. 

Cook with the microwave instead of a regular oven to reduce cooking costs up to 90%. If you can stand the heat outside, cook on a grill to lower cooking costs even more. 

Install compact fluorescent lights. You'll reduce lighting costs per fixture by about 66%, according to EEI. Be sure to turn off lights that aren't being used and, if possible, dim ones that are being used. 

Wash and dry full loads of clothes and dishes to save 2% to 4% on energy costs because you'll be washing fewer times than if you ran your appliances to wash several smaller loads. You'll also save by using cold water rather than warm or hot. 

Check out your power company's Web site because all electric companies offer money-saving tips, and many have energy-saving programs and incentives, including free online energy audits, rebates for purchasing high-efficiency appliances and low-interest loans to help purchase high-efficiency appliances. 

Reprinted with permission. All Contents ©2011 The Kiplinger Washington Editors. www.kiplinger.com .