The market's next test: Bank of America weighs in on which sectors will crush it this earnings season - and which will flounder

• Earnings season kicks off on Monday, and Bank of America Merrill Lynch analysts are projecting which sectors will impress investors and which are most likely to stumble.
• US banks and brokerages account for many of next week's reports and begin reporting earnings on October 15.
• BAML analysts expect the insurance, REIT, and utilities industries to post the biggest earnings wins. They anticipate the energy, aerospace/defense, and basic materials sectors to announce the biggest losses.
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Earnings season is less than a week away, and Bank of America Merrill Lynch analysts are predicting which sectors will sink and which will swim.

Major US banks and stock brokers will account for many of next week's reports, with JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo, and Goldman Sachs among the companies releasing quarterly figures starting October 15.

Public investment-grade issuers - or companies with strong corporate credit - are expected to report a consensus 4.6% earnings decline year-over-year and revenue growth of 3.3%, BAML analysts wrote. The outlook improves when excluding the more volatile finance and energy sectors, analysts added, with earnings only falling 3.8% and revenues growing 5%.

Here are the three sectors BAML expects to post the greatest year-over-year earnings growth and the three expected to announce the biggest declines.

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