Earnings season is seen by investors as the market's next major test.

For investors wondering if U.S. equities will maintain their recent gains in the face of decreasing profitability, this week marks the beginning of the corporate earnings season, offering the next testing for the market. Financial experts predict that S&P 500 firms will announce another quarterly earnings fall. According to FactSet, profits in the first quarter are expected to fall by 6.8% compared to the same time last year. That would be....