Earnings Are Crushing It. Stocks Are Getting Crushed.

Investors aren’t buying the earnings story this summer, in contrast to the spring rally that powered stocks to a record high in early June, suggesting a tough climb for markets over the back half of the year. Early second-quarter earnings data suggests companies are beating Wall Street forecasts by nearly 9%, well ahead of the four-quarter average of around 7.5% and the 4.4% tallied since 1994, according to LSEG. Nearly 85% of companies are beating estimates, compared with the recent average of around 80% and the historic reading of around 68%, and LSEG figures suggest overall second-quarter profit growth of 27%.