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Alcoa (AA, Fortune 500) is the first Dow component to report fourth-quarter results. The company posted earnings of six cents a share, in line with expectations, while sales were $5.9 billion, ahead of the predicted $5.6 billion.
Shares rose 2% in after-hours trading.
Alcoa's results are traditionally viewed as the start of earnings season, although most companies don't report until late January and early February, and the firm isn't seen as a bellwether for the broader market.
Overall, fourth-quarter earnings for S&P 500 companies are expected to rise 3.3% from the fourth quarter of 2011, according to S&P Capital IQ.
Excluding financial stocks, however, earnings are only expected to rise 0.5%, Dan Greenhaus, chief global strategist at BTIG, wrote in a research note Tuesday. He said these muted expectations were driven in significant part by the technology sector, where a number of firms have issued weak fourth-quarter guidance. 
| Index | Last | Change | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dow | 15,294.50 | -12.67 | -0.08% |
| Nasdaq | 3,459.42 | -3.88 | -0.11% |
| S&P 500 | 1,650.51 | -4.84 | -0.29% |
| Treasuries | 2.02 | -0.00 | -0.15% |
| Company | Price | Change | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bank of America Corp... | 13.21 | -0.10 | -0.75% |
| Hewlett-Packard Co | 24.86 | 3.63 | 17.10% |
| Micron Technology In... | 11.39 | 0.47 | 4.30% |
| Dean Foods Co | 20.41 | 0.46 | 2.31% |
| Pfizer Inc | 29.11 | -0.19 | -0.65% |
| Overnight Avg Rate | Latest | Change | Last Week |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 yr fixed | 3.77% | 3.60% | |
| 15 yr fixed | 2.88% | 2.74% | |
| 5/1 ARM | 2.66% | 2.54% | |
| 30 yr refi | 3.76% | 3.58% | |
| 15 yr refi | 2.88% | 2.73% |
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