U.S. Stocks Rise Ahead of Earnings Season; Alphabet Shares Upgraded

U.S. stocks kicked off the trading week to the upside as investors anxiously awaited the start of first quarter earnings season, which begins after the markets close with Alcoa's (AA) - Get Report results. Analysts expect first quarter earnings to post their biggest year-over-year decline since 2009. Though Josh Mahony, a market analyst with IG Markets in London expects the U.S. consumer discretionary sector to be the bright spot this year. Meanwhile, Tesla (TSLA) - Get Report is set to hold a conference call on Monday for investors, providing an update on the company. Shares of Alphabet (GOOGL) - Get Report rose after analysts at Pivotal Research upgraded the stock to BUY from HOLD, citing the company's impressive economies of scale. TheStreet's Scott Gamm reports from Wall Street.