Wall Street higher as earnings season begins

Wall Street was higher on Monday as investors braced for corporate earnings season, with Alcoa set to post first-quarter results after the market closes. Earnings at S&P 500 companies are expected to have declined 7.6 percent on average in the first quarter, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S. Big bank earnings are also on the cards through the week, starting with JPMorgan Chase & Co on Wednesday. "We're in a bit of a holding pattern until earnings, which kick off with Alcoa tonight, b