Earnings deja vu

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Alcoa and General Electric set the tone for a disappointing first-quarter earnings period back in April when both reported worse-than-expected results.

And Wall Street is expecting a repeat performance from the two Dow components when they kick off a round of second-quarter results this week.

Alcoa (AA, Fortune 500) is taking a hit because of high commodity prices and weakening demand. The aluminum producer is expected to report earnings of 68 cents a share, down 19% from 81 cents a share a year ago. Analysts are forecasting a sales decline of 9% to $7.4 billion. Alcoa will report its results Tuesday afternoon.

Then there's General Electric (GE, Fortune 500), which historically has provided investors with dependable double-digit earnings growth. It is also struggling because of the sluggish economy.