Alcoa Kicks Off Earnings Parade

Aluminum giant Alcoa (NYSE:AA) reported losing $2 million in the second-quarter as revenue dropped because of weak metal prices and slowing global demand. But the results beat Wall Street’s low estimates, and the future is looking brighter -- aluminum is being used in more fuel-efficient cars and planes because it’s much lighter than steel.

Dow member Alcoa traditionally kicks off earnings season. Its report for the second quarter was released Monday night and is offering some support for stocks Tuesday morning.

After closing modestly lower Monday, the major averages are posting small gains early Tuesday.

Meanwhile, if you’re looking for a job, you may want to start with your Facebook page. Social recruiter Jobvite says 92% of companies use social media to find talent. They’re not only checking the content of what you post, but your grammar and spelling too!  So if you post a picture of you doing a keg stand on the Fourth of July (which you shouldn’t), be sure to be grammatically correct in the caption under that (inappropriate) photo.

There’s also chatter that Facebook (NASDAQ:FB) may add a job search feature to its site next month.  According to Dow Jones Newswires, the job listings would roll up job postings brought to Facebook by third-party services already working with it, like BranchOut, Jobvite, and Work4 Labs.