FactSet

Corporate earnings have been on a roll: S&P 500 earnings are set to grow 19.2 percent year-over-year in the third quarter, marking the third-highest quarterly earnings growth since the first quarter of 2011, according to the weekly Earnings Insight report by Factset.  Given the...

After ending 2017 with a 19.4-percent gain, the S&P 500 Index is up about 6.9 percent year-to-date through Aug. 23, popping in and out of the record territory quiet often. The bull market that began in March 2009, marking a recovery from the post-financial crisis slump in 2008, now has the...

As companies continue to realize the effects of corporate tax cuts, an impressive phenomenon persists. As of last week, when 267 constituents of the S&P 500 had reported earnings, 79.4 percent had beaten analyst estimates — far beyond the 64-percent long-term average and the 75-percent...

The big bank earnings parade started Friday and continued into today's session, and the Financial Select Sector SPDR Fund (NYSE: XLF) has shown muted reaction. Expectations before the earnings season were upbeat, with Factset estimating that the financial sector could report the fourth-...

Perhaps not surprisingly, data indicate the sector analysts' are most bullish on is technology. Over the past year, the Technology Select Sector SPDR (NYSE: XLK) and the tech-heavy PowerShares QQQ (NASDAQ: QQQ) are up 24 percent and 22.6 percent, respectively, while the S&P 500 is higher by...

The profit growth of S&P 500 companies continues to be buoyant and is one of the factors responsible for the current bull market. Early indications suggest the momentum is set to continue. With the first-quarter reporting season around the corner, here's a look at how the season is likely...

The fourth-quarter earnings season is imminent, and to capitalize on corporate financial results, knowing when sectors and companies report is key.  Around the earnings season, the chatter surrounds whether the company hits, misses or exceeds expectations. This invariably triggers at least a...

Fourth-quarter earnings season kicks off on Friday, and traders will be treated to the usual avalanche of earnings updates from financial services firms early in the reporting cycle. Short-term events such as earnings reports are the ideal occasions for leveraged exchange-traded funds. That...

The Technology Select Sector SPDR (NYSE: XLK) and other technology exchange-traded funds have recently slumped. A big reason why is an obvious sector rotation out of technology into financial services and other groups seen as beneficiaries of the Trump Administration's tax reform effort....

The herd mentality of piling into asset classes favored by the large majority of investors is the rationale behind crowded trades. By definition, a crowded trade is an asset class or investment theme that has attracted an unusually large number of market participants. Among the traits associated...