In 2021, we expect to see a year of high expectations for earnings growth as we exit 2020, which saw growth rates plummet during the first three quarters to levels not seen since the 2008 crisis. The earnings growth forecast for 2021 is currently 25.9%, the highest since 2010. In a typical quarter, year-over-year (YoY) growth expectations decline by an average of 3.5 percentage points (ppts) from the start of the quarter to the start of earnings season. Seeing an increase in growth expectations heading into earnings season is fairly uncommon, but we have seen exactly this behavior for the

Over the past two years, retailers and conglomerates have been concerned about the Chinese trade war. As the new decade starts, however, a new threat has emerged as the coronavirus spread in China during its New Year holiday. The World Health Organization has declared a global health emergency, as officials said the virus had killed more than 425 people and sickened nearly 20,000 as of the beginning of February. The vast majority of the cases have been located in China. Fear of economic disruption due to the virus has been weighing hard on global stock markets, the travel industry and