The S&P 500 is a bellwether for the American economy, and with quarterly reports for more than half of the index's companies in this earnings season, S&P 500 firms are averaging a 4.5% positive earnings per share surprise, according to Capital IQ's Earnings This Week report. Continue reading S&P 500 Earnings Beat the Street by 4.5% So Far S&P 500 Earnings Beat the Street by 4.5% So Far originally appeared on DailyFinance on Tue, 08 Feb 2011 14:53:00. Filed Under: Economy , Investing , Earnings , Ford Motor Co , Coca-Cola Company , Pepsico , Bank of America , McDonald's , Cisco Systems , Walt Disney Permalink | Tweet this! | Comments