U.S. Stocks Decline Before Corporate Earnings Season Starts

U.S. stocks fell, sending the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index down for a second straight day, as investors awaited the start of the corporate earnings season.

Yum! Brands Inc., the owner of the Taco Bell and KFC fast-food chains, retreated 4.2 percent as same-store sales fell more than projected in China after a government probe into one of its former suppliers hurt demand. GameStop Corp., the world’s largest video-game retailer, tumbled 6.3 percent amid a narrower sales forecast. Alcoa Inc., the largest U.S. aluminum producer, rose 0.9 percent at 4:29 p.m. as sales beat estimates.