More than 2,300 companies have now reported their Q3 2017 earnings results since earnings season began back on October 9th. With just a week left until the unofficial end of the reporting period, the S&P 500 is up 1.3% since the start of earnings season. While the S&P’s gain is nice to see, the underlying price action of S&P 500 stocks that have reported has been weak. This is a concerning sign. As shown in the chart below, the average S&P 500 stock that has reported EPS this season has fallen 0.33% on its earnings reaction day. This means investors have been doing more selling than buying of individual stocks that make up the S&P 500 in reaction to their earnings news.
