Alcoa Earnings Surprise is Positive News for Global Economic Recovery

When Alcoa Inc. (NYSE: AA ) kicked off earnings season on Monday by soundly beating analysts' expectations, it flashed positive signals for the company and, more importantly, the entire global economic recovery. The aluminum giant swung from a loss of $0.26 in the same quarter last year to a gain of $0.13 per share, exceeding by 18% the 11-cent average estimate of 17 analysts surveyed by Bloomberg News. " It's a very positive signal for economic growth and the stock market generally ," John Stephenson, who helps manage $1.6 billion including Alcoa shares at First Asset Investment Management in Toronto, told Bloomberg . "Maybe end-use demand has not been destroyed. That's a very good sign and a great way to start off this Q2 earnings season."