3 things to watch this earnings season - USA TODAY
There's a cloud hanging over the first-quarter earnings season, as analysts are forecasting the first negative quarter for profits since the Great Recession, sparking fears of an "earnings recession. Heading into Wednesday's unofficial kickoff to the earnings season when aluminum producer Alcoa (AA) reports, analysts expect earnings for the Standard & Poor's 500-stock index to contract 2. 8%, which would mark the first profit contraction since... EARNINGS: 15 big companies expected to post losses in Q1. SILVER LINING: An upbeat take on a downbeat earnings season. Here are three things to watch out for this earnings season. It's not uncommon for analysts to trim estimates ahead of earnings season. If that trend continues it would temporarily end talk of a profits recession, as many analysts expect profit growth to pick up later in 2015. 2. What will CEOs say about the future. The good thing about low profit expectations is that they make it easier to top forecasts. Source: www.usatoday.com
