Each earnings reporting season, you can count on a flurry of articles with headlines saying companies “beat” consensus estimates for quarterly profits. But that “success” alone means nothing. A 70% “beat rate” among the S&P 500 is typical. And an earnings beat may be a net loss that was lower than expected. It is as if companies in their guidance and analysts working for brokerage firms underestimate to set up the beats. The U.S. earnings season will begin on Friday when the largest U.S. banks report their ...