By Ben Fox Rubin

With Alcoa Inc. (AA) scheduled to report quarterly results on Tuesday, the third-quarter earnings session should kick off in earnest next week Wells Fargo & Co. (WFC) and J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. (JPM) are scheduled to report Friday.

Also next week, reports on small business and inflation, as well as the biggest group of initial public offerings in months, are expected.

Two Major Financial Firms Reporting Earnings

As earnings session starts to heat up next week, two U.S. banking giants will weigh in with their latest third-quarter numbers on Friday. J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. (JPM) should give investors an early window into the recent strength of investment banking, while Wells Fargo & Co. (WFC) will provide a view of traditional banking's strength.