Earnings growth is expected to turn negative for the first quarter, and an already low growth forecast for the rest of the year could be cut in half, as companies continue to report fourth quarter profits.
Fourth quarter earnings growth has been strong, at about 16 percent, but companies are guiding lower when it comes to 2019. The first quarter is now expected to see a decline of 0.25 percent in profits., according to S&P Capital IQ.
