NEW YORK -- With Hurricane Sandy bearing down on the East Coast Monday, some companies decided to postpone quarterly earnings reports scheduled for release early this week as financial markets shut down.

Among the companies postponing the announcement of their financial results include Pfizer Inc., Thomson Reuters and NRG Energy Inc.

Pfizer says it will now report its third-quarter earnings on Thursday. Thomson Reuters and NRG Energy will report their third-quarter results on Friday. Acorda Therapeutics Inc. will now announce its results on Wednesday.

U.S. financial markets, including the New York Stock Exchange, Nasdaq and CME Group in Chicago, planned a rare shutdown Monday.

Sandy has the potential to wreak havoc over 800 miles from the East Coast to the Great Lakes.