Companies will report their earnings next week and housing data is due that might shed some light on that beleaguered sector. But nothing will compare to the hoopla that will surround Facebook’s initial public offering scheduled for Thursday. It is without a doubt the most anticipated IPO in nearly a decade, since Google (GOOG: 610.73, +6.73, +1.11%) took its shares public in 2004. Indeed, it may be the single most anticipated event on Wall Street in recent memory. The media spent all this week chasing Facebook’s road show around the U.S. for signs that enigmatic CEO and founder Mark Zuckerberg was in attendance. On Monday he showed up to meetings in New York in his trademark hoodie and jeans. Facebook filed last week to sell 337.4 million shares at a proposed range of $28 to $35. At that price the deal would value the social media site at around $96 billion, easily the most highly valued U.S. Internet company. Reports ahead of Thursday night's expected pricing suggest (not surprisingly) that demand is strong, so the pricing range could move higher next week.