Notable earnings expected on Friday include: Big Lots (NYSE: BIG ) is expected to report second quarter EPS of $0.30 on revenue of $1.20 billion, compared to last year's EPS of $0.31 on revenue of $1.23 billion. The nation's consumer price index increased to 1.3 percent annually in July, suggesting that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's economic policies have been successful. After implementing a massive sales tax hike in April, many worried that the nation would suffer, but with inflation rising toward the government's two percent target, Japan's economic recovery looks to be on track.