Starbucks’ Expansion Plans and Sony’s Big Event: Morning Buzzers

The U.S. equity markets are closed on Monday in observance of President’s day. Looking ahead, investors are anticipating a series of housing market indicators, the producer price index report, and Wal-Mart’s (NYSE:WMT) fourth-quarter earnings.

Here’s what’s buzzing on Monday morning:

Sony (NYSE:SNE) is slated to unveil the PlayStation 4 on Wednesday, and expectations for the new gaming console are mixed. The longevity of the current generation of machines, now in its seventh year, has been cited as evidence that the industry is struggling with relevancy. The launch of Sony’s new device will certainly be a catalyst, but it’s unclear what role the hardware will play in the market. Sony, for its part, has indicated that the device is one of three major pillars that the company will use to rebuild itself, along with mobile and digital imaging. Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT), GameStop (NYSE:GME), and major game publishers will also all have their eyes on the unveiling.