Between January 1 and March 18, 2020, 39 S&P 500 companies from the consumer discretionary sector cited the coronavirus in their fourth quarter 2019 earnings calls, as did 39 information technology companies. The coronavirus pandemic has had a significant negative impact on global financial markets.

Corporate Profits in the United States decreased to 3128.50 USD Billion in the third quarter of 2024 from 3141.56 USD Billion in the second quarter of 2024. This dataset provides the latest reported value for - United States Corporate Profits - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

During Q1 2020 earnings calls, 21 S&P 500 companies from the utilities sector confirmed their previous EPS guidance for 2020, as did 12 health care companies. This suggests that the COVID-19 pandemic did not have a negative impact on their bottom line, which stands in stark contrast to many financial services companies in the United States. EPS stands for earnings per share and shows the value of earnings allocated per outstanding share of common stock of a company.

View data of the S&P 500, an index of the stocks of 500 leading companies in the US economy, which provides a gauge of the U.S. equity market.

Graph and download economic data for Corporate Profits After Tax (without IVA and CCAdj) (CP) from Q1 1947 to Q3 2024 about CCADJ, IVA, corporate profits, tax, corporate, GDP, and USA.

From 2000 to 2019, the United States had more Fortune 500 companies than any other country. In 2020, the U.S. was surpassed by China, where 124 companies were reported, compared to 121 U.S. companies. This is an impressive increase, as there were only 10 Fortune 500 companies in China in 2000. In 2023, the number of top world companies ranked by revenue grew by six in China, while in the U.S. there were 12 more companies than in 2022.

U.S. stock futures see an uptick as investors evaluate earnings reports and await inflation data. Key stocks like Nvidia and Snowflake show positive activity, while Salesforce experiences a decline.

Enterprise value to earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EV/EBITDA) is a key measurement ratio used as a metric of valuing whether a company is under or overvalued as compared to a historical industry average. The S&P 500 (Standard & Poor’s) is an index of the 500 largest U.S. publicly traded companies by market capitalization. In 2023, the consumer staples sector displayed the highest EV/EBITDA multiple with 15.14.

Comprehensive global estimates based on projections, models, analysis and research. Available as global, international or North American company packages.

The S&P company with the highest reported percentage of revenue from China in 2020 was Wynn Resorts. This Nevadan corporation reportedly received 69.8 percent of its revenue from China. The top three is completed by Texas Instruments and Qualcomm, with 50.1 percent and 47.8 percent of revenue coming from China, respectively. In 2020, the company with the lowest percentage of revenue from China among the top ten, was Intel, with 27.8 percent.

In 2021, New York had a total of 53 Fortune 500 companies headquartered in the state. California, Texas, Illinois, and Ohio rounded out the top five of states with the most Fortune 500 companies.

What is the Fortune 500?

The Fortune 500 is an annual list published by Fortune magazine that shows the largest corporations in the United States by total revenue within the fiscal year. The list includes both publicly and privately held companies. Being on the Fortune 500 list is one of the most prestigious marks a company can achieve.

Diversity in the Fortune 500

Increasing diversity has become a hot topic within the business world in recent years and it shows on the boards of Fortune 500 companies. Fortune 500 companies are appointing more diverse individuals to board of director positions and the share of women, African-Americans, and Asian-Americans in these positions have all more than doubled since 2009.

Until the third quarter of 2021, the S&P 500 and the S&P 500 ESG index exhibited similar performance, both indexes were weighted to similar industries as the S&P 500 followed the leading 500 companies in the United States. By the fourth quarter of 2021, the S&P 500 ESG index began to steadily outperform the S&P 500 by four points on average. During the coronavirus pandemic, the technology sector was one of the best-performing sectors in the market. The major differences between the two indexes were the S&P 500 ESG index was skewed towards firms with higher environmental, social, and governance (ESG) scores and had a higher concentration of technology securities than the S&P 500 index. What is a market capitalization index? Both the S&P 500 and the S&P 500 ESG are market capitalization indexes, meaning the individual components (such as stocks and other securities) weighted to the indexes influence the overall value. Market trends such as inflation, interest rates, and international issues like the coronavirus pandemic and the popularity of ESG among professional investors affect the performance of stocks. When weighted components rise in value this causes an increase in the overall value of the index they are weighted too. What trends are driving index performance? Recent economic and social trends have led to higher levels of ESG integration and maintenance among firms worldwide and higher prioritization from investors to include ESG-focused firms in their investment choices. From a global survey group over one-third of the respondents were willing to prioritize ESG benefits over a higher return on their investment. These trends influenced the performance of securities on the market, leading to an increased value of individual weighted stocks, resulting in an overall increase in the index value.

The annual returns of the Nasdaq 100 Index from 1986 to 2024. fluctuated significantly throughout the period considered. The Nasdaq 100 index saw its lowest performance in 2008, with a return rate of -41.89 percent, while the largest returns were registered in 1999, at 101.95 percent. As of June 11, 2024, the rate of return of Nasdaq 100 Index stood at 14 percent. The Nasdaq 100 is a stock market index comprised of the 100 largest and most actively traded non-financial companies listed on the Nasdaq stock exchange. How has the Nasdaq 100 evolved over years? The Nasdaq 100, which was previously heavily influenced by tech companies during the dot-com boom, has undergone significant diversification. Today, it represents a broader range of high-growth, non-financial companies across sectors like consumer services and healthcare, reflecting the evolving landscape of the global economy. The annual development of the Nasdaq 100 recently has generally been positive, except for 2022, when the NASDAQ experienced a decline due to worries about escalating inflation, interest rates, and regulatory challenges. What are the leading companies on Nasdaq 100? In August 2023, Apple was the largest company on the Nasdaq 100, with a market capitalization of 2.73 trillion euros. Also, Alphabet C, Alphabet, Amazon, and Broadcom were among the five leading companies included in the index. Market capitalization is one of the most common ways of measuring how big a company is in the financial markets. It is calculated by multiplying the total number of outstanding shares by the current market price.

March 24, 2020 saw the largest one-day gain in the history of the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA), with the index increasing 2,112.98 points. This occurred approximately two weeks after the largest one-day point loss occurred on March 9, 2020, which was triggered by the growing panic about the coronavirus outbreak worldwide.

Index fluctuations

The DJIA is an index of 30 large companies traded on the New York Stock Exchange. It is one of the numbers that financial analysts watch closely, using it as a bellwether for the United States economy. Seeing when these large gains occur, as well as the largest one-day point losses, gives insight to why these fluctuations may occur. The gains in 2009 are likely adjustments after major losses during the Financial Crisis, but those in 2018 are probably signs of high market volatility.

Other leading financial indicators

While the DJIA is closely watched, it only gives insight on the performance of thirty leading U.S. companies. An index like the S&P 500, tracking 500 companies, can give a more comprehensive overview of the United States economy. Even so, this only reflects investment. Other parts of the economy, such as consumer spending or unemployment rate are not well reflected in stock market indices.

In 2024, 62 percent of adults in the United States invested in the stock market. This figure has remained steady over the last few years, and is still below the levels before the Great Recession, when it peaked in 2007 at 65 percent. What is the stock market? The stock market can be defined as a group of stock exchanges, where investors can buy shares in a publicly traded company. In more recent years, it is estimated an increasing number of Americans are using neobrokers, making stock trading more accessible to investors. Other investments A significant number of people think stocks and bonds are the safest investments, while others point to real estate, gold, bonds, or a savings account. Since witnessing the significant one-day losses in the stock market during the Financial Crisis, many investors were turning towards these alternatives in hopes for more stability, particularly for investments with longer maturities. This could explain the decrease in this statistic since 2007. Nevertheless, some speculators enjoy chasing the short-run fluctuations, and others see value in choosing particular stocks.