Aug. 4--Monday, Aug. 4

LINUXWORLD: The LinuxWorld Conference & Expo, produced by Framingham's IDG World Expo, starts in San Francisco. More than 200 exhibitors and thousands of Linux and open-source software users will attend the four-day event. For more info, visit www.linuxworldexpo.com.

GET THE MESSAGE: In advance of Restaurant Week, Waltham-based Constant Contact Inc. offers a free e-mail marketing seminar for Boston restaurants, 10 to 11:30 a.m. at the Boston Public Library. For more info, visit www.constantcontact.com.

Quarterly earnings reports are expected from Athenahealth Inc. of Watertown, Cambridge-based Infinity Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Waltham's Oxigene Inc.

Tuesday, Aug. 5

WELCOME HOME: Triangle Inc., a nonprofit group that helps people with disabilities gain economic self-sufficiency, holds a "coming home ceremony" at 11 a.m. at 2 Bates St. in Danvers. The site is a residence home that was renovated after being severely damaged when a manufacturing plant exploded on Nov. 22, 2006.

FED UP OR DOWN: Concern over the outlook for both growth and inflation will prompt Federal Reserve policy makers to keep interest rates unchanged at 2 percent at a meeting on the economy.

Boston Beer Co., Charles River Labs, Indevus Pharmaceuticals, Lionbridge Technologies and Procter & Gamble Co., owner of the Gillette brand, report quarterly financial results.

Wednesday, Aug. 6

WELL RECEIVED: The Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce holds its annual summer reception, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., at the Taj Hotel, 15 Arlington St., Boston. For more info, visit www.bostonchamber.com.

Boston-area companies Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Inc., Caliper Life Sciences, CombinatoRx Inc. and Parexel International Inc. post earnings results.

Thursday, Aug. 7

HOME DEALS: The National Association of Realtors reports on pending home resales for June. Economists expect a 1 percent drop, the fourth decline in six months. The Realtors group said July 24 that its existing home sales measure, which is recorded at the time a contract closes, fell in June to a 10-year low.

Among the companies releasing quarterly financial results are Danvers' Abiomed Inc., Alkermes Inc. of Cambridge, John Hancock parent Manulife Financial Corp. and Waltham-based Repligen Corp.

Friday, Aug. 8

PAPER CUTS: GateHouse Media Inc. of Fairport, N.Y., reports second-quarter financial results. The publisher of the Patriot Ledger in Quincy and MetroWest Daily News in Framingham, among other Massachusetts papers, has seen its stock value slide from $17.43 a year ago to only 44 cents on Friday.

The Labor Department releases its productivity report for second quarter.

Send business events to outlook@bostonherald.com

-----

To see more of the Boston Herald or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.bostonherald.com.

Copyright (c) 2008, Boston Herald

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.

For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.

NASDAQ-NMS:INFI, NASDAQ-NMS:OXGN, NYSE:SAM, NYSE:CRL, NASDAQ-NMS:IDEV, NASDAQ-NMS:LIOX, NYSE:PG, NASDAQ-NMS:ALNY, NASDAQ-NMS:CALP, NASDAQ-NMS:CRXX, NASDAQ-NMS:ALKS, NYSE:MFC, NASDAQ-NMS:RGEN, NYSE:GHS,

Story Source: Boston Herald