The frequency of S&P 500 constituent companies reporting earnings that exceed expectations is higher than last year.

During this quarter's earnings season, an increasing number of American companies have reported earnings that exceeded expectations, with the healthcare and technology sectors being the biggest winners. According to data compiled by Bloomberg, among the 292 companies in the S&P 500 that have announced their third-quarter results, 87% had earnings per share that surpassed analysts' estimates, compared to 86% during the same period last year. Approximately 13% of companies reported earnings that fell short of expectations, down from 14% a year ago. The proportion of companies that did not meet revenue expectations was 23%, while 77% exceeded expectations. In the same period last year, these figures were 25% and 75%, respectively. Since the start of this earnings season, the blue-chip index has declined by 0.7%.