First Monday: What's on tap for the business world in August

— -- On this month's business calendar:

Aug. 5:Federal Reserve officials meet to weigh whether to change a key interest rate that influences rates for mortgages, auto loans and other consumer credit.

Aug. 7:Sara Lee, hard hit by rising commodity costs in its bakery division, reports earnings. It announced a write-down of nearly $1 billion for its fiscal fourth quarter.

Aug. 12:Securities and Exchange Commission's temporary ban ends on a certain kind of short-selling in stocks of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and 17 investment banks.

Aug. 13:Retail sales for July are reported.

Aug. 14:consumer price index for July is reported.

Aug. 16:Nissan's Infiniti plans a debut of its G37 sedan and G37x coupe at a media breakfast during the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, a combination charity car show/summer getaway for the auto industry. Auto executives pop in to mingle with serious collectors, check out the auction and see how their classics stack up against the competition. Some use it for introductions.

Aug. 25:National Association of Realtors releases existing home sales numbers for July.

Aug. 26:Standard and Poor's/Case-Shiller Home Price Index for June is released.