Cisco on Deck: Don't Expect Any Miracles

NEW YORK (TheStreet) - Cisco(CSCO) reports its first-quarter results after market close on Tuesday amid growing concern about spending headwinds, Europe and fears of the looming fiscal cliff.

Silicon Valley has delivered a largely underwhelming earnings season, as evidenced by disappointing quarterly numbers from heavyweights such as IBM(IBM) and Intel(INTC) , which lowered its outlook.

Any hopes that Cisco might offer some respite for the tech sector are likely wide of the mark, say analysts, citing concerns that Cisco's recent momentum is slowing. The networking giant reported solid fourth-quarter results in August, boosted by its U.S. enterprise business, but the Dow component may tell a different story this quarter.