Analysts recently have been scaling back their corporate-profit forecasts in what some experts view as an omen to the end of the stock-market bull run.
The U.S. stock market has been on record-setting spree since the election of Donald Trump as president, but the rally has faltered in recent weeks as investors fret over the lack of clarity on his proposals to reform taxes and cut regulation, Reuters has reported.
For the year, the S&P 500 is up 134.64 points, or 6 percent, the AP reported. The Dow Jones industrial average is up 1,143.26 points, or 5.8 percent. The Nasdaq is up 518.41 points, or 9.6 percent.
FactSet predict that earnings for companies listed on the S&P 500 index will jump 9 percent in the first quarter.
“While the rate marks a significant uptick from the 4.9 percent notched in the final three months of 2016, it represents a reduction from