The U.S. jobless rate, out next Friday, is expected to jump to 8.5% for March.

General Motors Corp. (GM) and Chrysler LLC, which have received billions of dollars in government loans, are to report on their progress in cutting costs and debt Tuesday.

In addition, President Obama heads overseas to attend the Group of 20 summit in London and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's 60th anniversary events in France and Germany.

 
   March Jobless Rate Could Reach 8.5%

Economists are predicting another jump in the unemployment rate for March, from 8.1% in February. This week, new U.S. claims for state unemployment benefits rose, and total claims soared to a record high of more than 5.5 million, showing the economy continues to shed jobs at a rapid clip. The government's monthly jobs report is due next Friday.

On Tuesday, the private Conference Board issues its March survey of consumer confidence, which has been falling since November.

Also due that day is the S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Index for January, which tracks home prices in 20 major cities. The index for December showed home prices continued their multiyear slide, with prices close to late 2003 levels.

Another read on the real-estate market comes Wednesday, when the National Association of Realtors issues its February index for pending sales of previously owned homes. The index dropped 7.7% in January from December.

The government reports on February construction spending Wednesday and factory orders Thursday. The Institute for Supply Management's survey of manufacturing activity is due Wednesday and its report on the service sector Friday.

Regional manufacturing surveys are expected Monday from the Dallas Fed and Tuesday from the Institute for Supply Management-Chicago.

Among appearances by Federal Reserve officials: St. Louis Fed President Jim Bullard on Monday in Frankfurt, Germany, and Philadelphia Fed President Charles Plosser on Tuesday in Chicago.

 
   GM, Chrysler Reports To Treasury Due Tuesday

General Motors Corp. (GM) and Chrysler LLC are scheduled to submit reports to the Treasury Department by Tuesday detailing on how they have cut union and health-care costs while also reducing debt. The Detroit auto makers are hoping to receive more federal low-interest loans to keep their operations out of bankruptcy. GM wants $16.6 billion, while Chrysler is seeking $5 billion.

More grim sales figures are expected when global auto makers release March U.S. sales results Wednesday. Significant declines are likely as the recession continues to keep people away from showrooms. Analysts will be watching to see if steps to loosen consumer credit restrictions are translating into car sales. Ford Motor Co. (F) will launch another companywide buyout program Wednesday as it tries to continue shaving costs.

 
   Monsanto Results To Show Strength Of Seed Demand

Monsanto Co. (MON) will shed light on demand for seeds and crop-protection products when it posts fiscal second-quarter results Thursday amid signs that farmers are balking at higher prices and seeking discounts after the sharp drop in commodity prices.

While Monsanto remains bullish on long-term demand trends, investors will look for any changes to its five-year growth forecasts. Analysts expect per-share earnings, excluding items, of $2.08, compared with a record $1.79 last year.

 
   RIM Shares Up Before 4Q Report

Shares of Research in Motion Ltd. (RIMM) have climbed 14% this month, and Goldman Sachs analysts said "we would be buyers of RIM" before it reports fiscal fourth-quarter results Thursday. Wall Street expects the Blackberry maker to post per-share earnings, excluding items, of 84 cents on revenue of $3.4 billion. The company said last month that new subscribers, attracted by its touch-screen Storm and the high-speed Bold, will help it beat by 20% its projection of 2.9 million additions for the quarter ended Feb. 28.

 
   Obama To Attend G20 Summit, NATO Meeting

President Obama heads overseas next week for three high-profile international events: the meeting of Group of 20 nations that kicks off Wednesday evening in London, a NATO at the end of the week and a European Union-U.S. summit in Prague on April 5.

He will sit down with Chinese President Hu Jintao and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev at the G20 summit and also will meet U.K. Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Queen Elizabeth II, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and South Korean President Lee Myung-bak. Also planned are a town hall-style meeting at a sports arena in Strasbourg, France.

 
   FDA Advisers Consider Diabetes Drugs

A panel of outside advisers to the Food and Drug Administration will meet Wednesday and Thursday in suburban Washington to evaluate proposed diabetes drugs saxagliptin from Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. (BMY) and AstraZeneca and liraglutide from Novo Nordisk (NVO).

Some analysts are skeptical that saxagliptin will get the thumbs-up because it was associated with skin toxicities in monkey studies. If it is approved, it would compete directly with a similar drug from Merck & Co. (MRK) called Januvia. Novo's liraglutide, which is in a different class of drugs, also could face hurdles because it has been associated with a change in heart rates and pancreatic disease in studies. Liraglutide would compete directly with Byetta, which is co-marketed by Eli Lilly & Co. (LLY) and Amylin Pharmaceuticals Inc. (AMLN).

Those companies together with Alkermes Inc. (ALKS) are developing a once-weekly formulation of Byetta. The panel discussion next week also could have implications for once-weekly Byetta. The FDA isn't required to follow its advisory panels' recommendations, but it often does.

 
   Crestor Study Results Due At Meeting

Thousands of heart doctors will descend on Orlando, Fla., from Saturday through Tuesday for the 58th annual scientific session of the American College of Cardiology. This year's meeting is light on high-profile clinical studies that could substantially affect sales performance of top drugs and medical devices - another sign of research pipeline difficulties among drug makers.

AstraZeneca PLC (AZN) will report on studies showing whether its Crestor cholesterol-lowering drug can also prevent blood clots and help kidney-disease patients. Convention-goers will also hear a report on a study sponsored by device-maker Boston Scientific Corp. (BSX) that compares cost and quality of life of stent procedures with bypass surgery.

Cost and comparative effectiveness of various heart treatments are likely to be in greater focus because the federal government has launched a $1.1 billion program to fund such research as a way to improve health-care quality and to control costs.

 
   Europe Springs Forward; 'Earth Hour' Sat.

Most European countries move their clocks ahead one hour Sunday to go on daylight saving time.

On Saturday evening, the skylines of Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, Nashville, New York, San Francisco and Washington, D.C., are expected to go dark at 8:30 p.m. local time to mark "Earth Hour." Organized by World Wildlife Fund to express concern about climate change, "Earth Hour" participants in the U.S. are estimated at more than 100 cities and towns. Worldwide, more than 1,500 cities, towns and villages in 80 countries are expected to reduce their power use for one hour.

 
   Wireless Trade Show Starts Wednesday

The wireless industry will convene Wednesday in Las Vegas for the CTIA Wireless trade show. Heavy hitters, such as Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ), will be pushing for continued investment, while the focus will be on different capabilities and programs rather than the handsets themselves. Research in Motion, for example, is expected to unveil more details about its App Store-like Blackberry App World. The three-day show is expected to be slower and lighter than in years past because of the weaker economy.

 
   Cable Operators Meet In Washington

The Cable Show, an industry conference sponsored by the National Cable & Telecommunications Association, will run Wednesday through Friday in Washington, D.C. The show will feature speeches by such industry leaders as Time Warner Inc. (TWX) Chief Executive Jeff Bewkes and News Corp. (NWS) Chief Executive Rupert Murdoch. Key members of Congress, representatives of the Obama Administration and Washington Mayor Adrian Fenty also will attend the U.S. cable industry's premiere event.

 
   Conferences

Among the other significant conferences next week are the Telsey Advisory Group Consumer Conference from Tuesday through Thursday in New York, BB&T Capital Markets Manufacturing & Materials Conference on Wednesday and Thursday in New York, Citi Biotech Day on Wednesday in New York and Wealth Forum 2009: The Rules Have Changed on Thursday in New York.

-By Kathy Shwiff, Dow Jones Newswires; 201-938-5975; kathy.shwiff@dowjones.com

(Jeff Bennett, Doug Cameron, Roger Cheng, Peter Loftus, Nat Worden and other Dow Jones Newswires staff contributed to this report.)