U.S. stock earnings "lose momentum"! Over 60% of S&P 500 constituents sound the earnings alarm

The latest analysis shows that the earnings outlook for large U.S. companies in the first quarter may be overshadowed. A report released by FactSet on Monday indicated that among the 107 S&P 500 constituent companies that provided first-quarter earnings guidance, 68 gave negative guidance (FactSet defines negative guidance as when a company's forecast value or median of the forecast range is below the pre-release market consensus expectation). FactSet stated that this number is significantly higher than the average levels of the past five and ten years. Meanwhile, according to FactSet's data, the number of companies providing optimistic earnings guidance is below historical averages. Current investors are closely monitoring the operational performance of large companies to assess the future trend of U.S. stocks. Goldman Sachs analysts recently raised their expectations for the probability of an economic recession, pointing out that the continuous decline in corporate confidence and the slowdown in economic growth are the main triggers. FactSet data shows that the overall earnings growth of S&P 500 constituent stocks in the fourth quarter of last year was about 18%, with more than three-quarters of companies exceeding expectations, in line with the average level of the past five years. The S&P 500 index closed slightly higher on Monday, but as of the end of March, it had cumulatively fallen nearly 6%, marking the worst single-month performance since 2022