The S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC) dropped one point to 4,383, but the Nasdaq Composite (NASDAQINDEX: ^IXIC) managed to rise by 11 points to 14,745. The first set of earnings reports from bank stocks came out on Tuesday morning, and investors didn't have a huge reaction to any of what they heard. Nevertheless, it's a reasonable question to ask whether major financial stocks like Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS) and JPMorgan Chase (NYSE: JPM) can help investors fight against building inflationary pressures and generate gains.