Earnings Preview: Monsanto Company (MON), Micron Technology Inc (MU), Alcoa Inc (AA), Constellation Brands Inc (STZ)

Fourth-quarter earnings season kicks off next week, with America's biggest aluminum producer, Alcoa Inc. (NYSE: AA), announcing its earnings results on Jan. 9. The broad U.S. stock market had a record-breaking year: The Dow Jones Industrial Average (INDEXDJX:.DJI) closed the year up 26.5 percent, its best return since 1995; the S&P 500 (INDEXSP:.INX) soared nearly 30 percent, its best performance since 1997; and the tech-dominated NASDAQ Composite (INDEXNASDAQ:.IXIC) racked up a gain of 38.3 per...