U.S. Stocks Open Flat as Wall Street Prepares for Banks to Report

U.S. stocks opened flat Monday as investors prepare for earnings from the big Wall Street banks. Among those reporting this week are JP Morgan Chase (JPM), Goldman Sachs (GS) and Citigroup (C). The earnings may give investors their first taste of how disappointing earnings season may be. Eli Lilly (LLY) said it would be discontinuing the development of its cardiovascular disease treatment because of insufficient efficacy. The company expects to record a fourth quarter charge of $90 million or 5 cents a share as a result of discontinuing development. Eli Lilly said an independent data monitoring committee had recommended discontinuing trials, after data from reviews of late-stage trials suggested there was a low probability that the study would achieve its primary endpoint.