Coming Week: Earnings Fireworks on Tap

Once the last of the hamburgers and hot dogs are eaten and the grill has cooled off, investors will put the lazy long weekend behind them and start gearing up for the beginning of the earnings flood.

Alcoa(AA Quote) will kick off the second-quarter earnings season when it reports results after Wednesday's closing bell. Analysts expect the aluminum giant will post a loss of 34 cents a share on revenue of $3.93 billion, according to Thomson Reuters.

But the real earnings hurricane won't hit until the following week, turning the next five sessions into the proverbial calm before the storm. ...