The fourth-quarter earnings season just underway is likely to feature an uneasy combination of caution and celebration – a mix that was on display even as Alcoa (NYSE:AA) got things off to a rip-roaring start by reporting an actual profit of $.21 per share in spite of the fact that aluminum prices tumbled by about 12% over the course of the year. Alcoa’s earnings report is usually seen as the “official” start of the reporting period given the company’s size its early reporting date and the notion that – to some extent at least – it can be viewed ...