You knew it was coming, but today, it finally begins. Second-quarter earnings season is upon us, and there's a lot at stake as analysts look to company results to see if fears about a slowdown for the U.S. economy actually come to pass. Based on today's stock market performance, investors seem nervous, as some poor data on Japanese machinery orders and Chinese inflation support the recessionary case. As of 10:45 a.m. EDT, the Dow Jones Industrials
As is traditional, Alcoa
Merck
Finally, Boeing
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