Key U.S. economic data that could influence the inflation-fighting Federal Reserve on whether to hike interest rates is due out at week's end. And that could make for some stomach-churning market moves, analysts said.

If that's not enough drama, fourth-quarter earnings season will rev up when technology bellwethers Intel Corp. (INTC.O), the world's top chip maker, and Internet media company Yahoo Inc. (YHOO.O) report results on Tuesday and Thursday, respectively.

The earnings news will certainly set the tone for some sectors, Wall Streeters said. But the reports on December retail sales as well as wholesale and consumer prices will determine the direction of the broader market.

"I think all these things are going to be looked at," said Richard Babson, the chairman and president of Babson-United Investment Advisors Inc. in Watertown, Mass. "It's Fed watch. It's waiting for the Fed."

All 30 primary dealers of U.S. government securities polled by Reuters now expect the central bank will push the federal funds rate up by a quarter of a percentage point to 5.75 percent at its first meeting of the year on Feb. 1-2.

But stronger-than-expected increases in retail sales or consumer prices could give Wall Street indigestion as the data could suggest more hawkish moves are in store from the central bank.

According to economists polled by Reuters, retails sales for December are seen rising by 1.0 percent, while consumer prices are expected to edge up 0.3 percent.

"The market has built in a lot of bad news, but if the numbers take a turn for the worse, it could be a problem," said Pierre Ellis, an economist at Primark Decision Economics.

Earnings tracking service First Call/Thomson Financial predicts an 18.2-percent rise in fourth-quarter earnings from companies making up the Standard and Poor's 500 index (.SPX).

Other companies reporting this week include aluminum maker Alcoa Inc. (AA.N) on Monday, and International Paper Co. (IP.N), the world's largest paper company, on Tuesday.

Ellis said any earnings disappointments from technology companies in particular could rattle the market.

"The valuations at the end of last year had gotten very extreme," Ellis said. "If there is any derailment of what is expected earnings-wise, it would have to hurt."

A profit warning from Lucent Technologies Inc. (LU.N) sent shares of the world's largest telecommunications equipment company plummeting nearly 23 percent last Friday but failed to drive down other stocks in the sector.

In fact, telecom issues helped the Nasdaq composite (.IXIC) begin a comeback from a wild week that saw the technology-loaded index hit a high of 4,131.15 before briefly skidding more than 10 percent.

The Nasdaq ended down 4.6 percent at 3,882.62 for the week.

The 30-stock Dow Jones industrial average (.DJI), meanwhile, edged up 0.23 percent for the week, closing at an all-time high of 11,522.56 as money flowed into more traditional sectors including health care and consumer products.

"That was one of the most exhausting and amazing weeks ever," said Scott Bleier, chief investment strategist at Prime Charter Ltd. "I think any drastic downturns this week will be met with rounds of great buying."