We are in the final phase of the fourth-quarter 2023 earnings season. Results are, so far, much better than expected. As of Feb 20, 402 companies on the S&P 500 Index reported their financial numbers. Total earnings for these index members are up 4.9% from the same period last year on 3.4% higher revenues, with 78.6% beating EPS estimates and 64.4% beating revenue estimates. At present, total earnings of the S&P 500 Index in fourth-quarter 2023 are expected to be up 5.5% on 3.2% higher revenues. This would ...