Earnings could be a positive force for stocks as Washington continues to wrangle over stimulus

Earnings could be a positive force for stocks as Washington continues to wrangle over stimulus

A woman rides past the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) on July 13, 2020 at Wall Street in New York City.Johannes Eisele | Getty ImagesStock market optimism for a stimulus package has been rising, but the focus swings to earnings and that could be a positive for stocks in the week ahead.JPMorgan, Citigroup, Goldman Sachs, Bank of America and Morgan Stanley all release earnings in the first big wave of corporate reports. There is also some important data, including CPI inflation data Tuesday and retail sales for September on Friday."It looks like earnings season might turn out better than expected, based on early reports," said Ed Keon, chief investment strategist at QMA.. "The guidance looks pretty good. So, we have earnings season upon us, the stimulus talks go back and