These stocks are poised for major moves Tuesday

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Dozens of U.S. corporate giants have the potential to move markets on Tuesday morning, as the quarterly deluge of earnings reports hits its full capacity.

Big pharma takes centre stage, with three names accounting for $400-billion (U.S.) in market capitalization due to disclose third-quarter performance before the start of trading.

Analysts are counting on a 17-per-cent jump in Eli Lilly & Co.'s year-over-year adjusted profits. Beating that mark could help the company's shares close some of the performance gap against the ascendant U.S. health-care sector this year.

Meanwhile, Biogen Inc. investors will be looking for the company's streak of earnings beats to continue. Over the past 18 quarters, Biogen has fallen short of analysts' forecasts just twice, and only by small margins.

Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis AG is also scheduled to report before the U.S. opening bell.

Health-care stocks are some of the best performers of the year to date, having risen as a sector of the S&P 500 index by 21 per cent. That has pushed up industry valuations, increasing the importance of earnings to keep pace with price gains.

Big industrial names are also on the earnings docket on Tuesday morning. After announcing the largest acquisition in aerospace history last month – the $30-billion deal to acquire Rockwell Collins – United Technologies Corp. will have an audience eager for details in the company's earnings call.

Lockheed Martin Corp., the country's largest defence contractor, is also set to report financial results, in which analysts will be looking for signs of revenue strength from recent contract wins.

Analysts see Caterpillar Inc. reporting a boost in third-quarter earnings per share of nearly 50 per cent over the same quarter last year, which makes for a high bar to clear. The construction and mining-equipment manufacturer has seen its shares rise by more than 50 per cent over the last year on improving commodity prices and global economic readings. Investors will be looking for hints of continued economic optimism from management.

Automakers will attract plenty of investor attention as well, with General Motors Co. following up a big second-quarter earnings beat that failed to spark much of an equity rally at all, as investors worry about slowing sales of U.S. passenger cars. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles is expected to post a slight drop in earnings, and investors will be keen for any news on planned deals or divestments.

Consumer sectors will also be active on Tuesday, with McDonald's Corp., 3M Co., and Stanley Black & Decker Inc. all expected to post earnings growth over 2016.

A total of 189 companies within the S&P 500 index are scheduled to report results this week.