S&P 500 earnings are on track to grow 29% this quarter.

Take out tech and energy, and Bank of America expects the rest of the index to grow just 7%, down from 12% last quarter.

That gap is the story heading into a big week. Of the 46 S&P 500 companies that had reported as of Friday, 85% beat expectations. Yet the Magnificent Seven are doing most of the heavy lifting while the average stock struggles, and small caps quietly slipped into correction territory on Wednesday.

About 70 S&P 500 companies report this week. Netflix goes Tuesday, then Wednesday is the heavy day. Analysts expect Tesla's revenue to slip about 1% from a year ago to roughly $27.8 billion, while Meta is expected to grow revenue about 23% to around $63 billion, with investors focused on how much more it plans to spend on AI. Procter & Gamble reports Thursday and American Express on Friday.

Rates stay in the background. Fed Chair Kevin Warsh's remarks late last week left traders expecting the Fed to hold at its October 27-28 meeting, but futures still price in the chance of as many as two hikes by the end of December.

A quick earnings-week check before Monday:

1. List which of your holdings report this week and on what day. A report should never catch you by surprise after the close.
2. Look at how concentrated you really are. When a handful of giant companies carry the index, an index fund can be less diversified than it feels.
3. Remember that a stop can't protect you after hours. If you hold through a report, size the position for a move that happens before the next open.

That's what TradeShield is built for: knowing where your risk sits before the headlines hit.

Stay sharp out there.

— Spidah, Founder & CEO

Market awareness, not financial advice. Trading involves risk.