Corporate Profits Are Way Up From a Year Ago

Modest gains for stocks nudged the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq to more record highs on Wall Street as investors braced for a deluge of earnings reports from big US companies. Of the 500 members of the S&P 500 index, 181 will report their results this week. Apple, Microsoft, McDonald’s, and Caterpillar are among the big-name companies that will be telling investors how they did in the first three months of the year. Ten of the 30 members of the Dow will also release their results.. The S&P 500 rose 7.45 points, or 0.2%, to 4,187.62. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 61.92 points, or 0.2%, to 33,981.57. The Nasdaq rose 121.97 points, or 0.9%, to 14,138.78. The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies rose 26.15 points, or 1.2% to 2,298.01

The stakes for investors are high this week, the AP reports. With millions of vaccines going out daily and trillions of dollars worth of government-led economic support being paid out, investors have turned much of their attention to how well the global economy—and corporate profits—will do in the recovery. Corporate profits in the S&P 500 are expected to be up 24% from this time a year ago, according to FactSet. Earnings growth is being welcomed by investors who have had to justify high stock values as many companies continue to emerge from a pandemic slump. About a quarter of S&P 500 companies have reported quarterly results so far this earnings season. Of these, 84% have delivered earnings that topped Wall Street’s estimates, according to FactSet.

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