AI-fueled rally raises earnings stakes globally | JQJO

After a record-setting surge in US stocks, traders enter earnings season with high expectations and little tolerance for disappointments. The S&P 500 is up 11% year-to-date, powered by a frenzy over artificial intelligence that has echoed across global markets. Earnings forecasts have climbed as well: analysts tracked by Bloomberg Intelligence now see third-quarter profit growth of 7.4% for US companies, nearly two basis points higher since mid-August. Globally, earnings for the MSCI All-Country World Index are projected to reach a record.