GDP growth, Fed policy and profit reports to decide bull-bear bout

THIS week should decide the epic October battle between bulls and bears as verdicts on third-quarter economic growth, Federal Reserve policy and corporate earnings all hit the tape.

US stocks rallied last week and major indices accumulated their biggest weekly gains in more than a year as traders focused on better-than-expected earnings reports and glossed over European and energy-sector worries. The gains came after the broad Standard & Poor's 500 longest losing streak since 2011; near the end of the historically volatile month, the S&P 500 lies only a few points from where it started in October.

Last week's rally was prompted by the sense that the corporate world is back to its heyday with some of the biggest names in business, including Apple…