Earnings that wont stink

By Paul R. La Monica, CNNMoney
2009-4-7 12:03:19

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Ahhh. I love the smell of earnings in the morning. Or, in the case of Alcoa, losses.

Aluminum maker and Dow component Alcoa (AA, Fortune 500) will kick off that mad period of quarterly corporate results reports on Tuesday afternoon. Analysts are forecasting a loss of 57 cents a share, compared to a profit of 44 cents per a share a year ago. Sales are expected to plummet 45%.

Alcoa's less-than-shiny results will set the tone for what should be a truly dreadful round of first-quarter results. Earnings for S&P 500 companies are expected to plunge more than 35% and profits are expected to decline for all 10 sectors of the economy.

Still, there should be some bright spots. Not every company is going to report a massive loss or gargantuan decrease in profits. And in a market that's been as volatile as this one has, it pays to try and identify potential earnings winners.

	Investment Basic Investment Overview Investment Approache Fundamentals Data Investment Stories www.fxj108.com	Earnings that wont stink By Paul R. La Monica, CNNMoney 2009-4-7 12:03:19 NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Ahhh. I love the smell of earnings in the morning. Or, in the case of Alcoa, losses. Aluminum maker and Dow component Alcoa (AA, Fortune 500) will kick off that mad period of quarterly corporate results reports on Tuesday afternoon. Analysts are forecasting a loss of 57 cents a share, compared to a profit of 44 cents per a share a year ago. Sales are expected to plummet 45%. Alcoa's less-than-shiny results will set the tone for what should be a truly dreadful round of first-quarter results. Earnings for S&P 500 companies are expected to plunge more than 35% and profits are expected to decline for all 10 sectors of the economy. Still, there should be some bright spots. Not every company is going to report a massive loss or gargantuan decrease in profits. And in a market that's been as volatile as this one has, it pays to try and identify potential earnings winners.