Materials, Earnings & Bricks

Check out the accompanying pdf and chart collection. Executive Summary: Banking-crisis-stoked recession fears knocked the S&P 500 Materials sector off its top-performing perch; now with those fears allayed, it’s been rebounding. Jackie examines the earnings prospects of two Materials industries, steel and copper, and the economic prospects of their biggest consumer, China. … Also: While analysts have lowered their earnings sights for S&P 500 companies collectively in recent weeks, forward earnings have risen for more S&P 500 industries than have fallen. The outlooks for travel and commodities related industries have improved the most. … And: A promising new energy storage solution comes from improbably low-tech sources that have been right under our feet: bricks and stones.