A group of stocks could be poised to buck the year’s sell-off trend, based on their track records during earnings season.
On average, fourth quarter earnings among the companies that have reported were 4.5 percent higher than expectations and about 7 percent higher from the same period in 2014, according to Thomson Reuters.
Revenue, which has been on the light side in recent quarters, is up 1 percent this time, when energy is excluded, but it’s down 3.5 percent when energy is added back into the mix.
Although it’s still early in the season with only 12 percent of S&P 500 companies announcing results, traders everywhere are gearing up for a potential post-earnings surge among certain names.
Read MoreFinding long-term value in the stock plunge
While betting on stocks ahead of earnings is often a difficult trade, investors tend to look at historical data to make assessments about the future.
Of course, the low bar set by analysts may also help.+
[“source -cncb”]