S&P 500 earnings are currently expected to grow by 62.1% in Q4 '09 versus Q4 '08. In the first chart below, we highlight how this growth estimate has changed since the start of the fourth quarter. As shown, estimates are essentially right where they were at the start of Q4, but there was a lot of movement in the estimate throughout the quarter. From October to the end of November, the growth estimate rose on a weekly basis all the way up to 75.7%. Since peaking, however, estimates headed lower by quite a bit until finally bumping up from 60% to 62.1% in the last week. As we enter earnings season, it's probably a good thing for the bulls that expectations have come down a little.
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While the S&P 500 as a whole is expected to grow by 62.1% in the fourth quarter, the bulk of this growth is expected to come from the Materials and Financial sectors. As shown below, these are the only two sectors with Q4 growth expectations that are higher than the S&P 500. And more sectors are still expected to see a decline in earnings than a rise. Energy and Industrials are both expected to see earnings decline by more than 20% in the fourth quarter, while Telecom is not far behind at -19.2%. Health Care, Consumer Staples, and Utilities are all expected to see a drop of about 5%. Technology and Consumer Discretionary are the other two sectors expected to see growth.
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