Alcoa (AA) may not have a place in the Dow Industrials anymore, but it still gets to kick off earnings season. Meanwhile, Gap (GPS -0.80%) releases its sales figures for December, providing an interesting bellwether for what's to come in the sector.

In this segment from Motley Fool Investor Beat, analysts Jason Moser and Taylor Muckerman explain why they'll be keeping an eye on shares of Alcoa and Gap as we head into earnings season.