The latest earnings season is set to kick off in earnest, and the stakes are high. More than 30 S & P 500 companies are slated to release their calendar third-quarter results this week. Among them are Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase and Bank of America. Johnson & Johnson are also on deck. Analysts on average expect S & P 500 earnings grew by 8% in the third quarter from the year-earlier period, per FactSet’s John Butters. If that’s the case, it’d mark the ninth straight quarter of profit growth. And the results may carry even more importance as U.S.-China trade tensions ramp up again. President Donald Trump on Friday threatened to put an additional 100% tariff on Chinese imports. Below is CNBC Pro’s breakdown of what to expect in this week’s key reports. All times ET. Tuesday Goldman Sachs is set to report earnings before the bell. A call with management is set for 9:30 a.m. Last quarter: GS topped estimates after it generated $840 million in trading revenue. This quarter: Analysts polled by LSEG expect Goldman earnings to have jumped 30% year over year. What to watch: “We continue to see risk/reward as attractive driven by 1) tailwinds from a shifting regulatory backdrop that, beyond lowered capital requirements, should offer increased strategic optionality around how the business is run; 2) continued ramp-up in M & A/IPO activity,” BofA analyst Ebrahim Poonawala wrote. He has a buy rating on Goldman. What history shows: Goldman beats earnings expectations 86% of the time, according to Bespoke Investment Group. Shares have also gone up after the release of the past three quarterly reports. JPMorgan Chase is set to report earnings in the premarket, followed by a conference call at 8:30 a.m. Last quarter: JPM topped estimates thanks to strong trading and investment banking revenues . This quarter: Analysts expect the company’s earnings grew by 10% from the year-earlier period, LSEG data shows. What to watch: “The only concern we hear is that JPM could do something unexpected with earnings such as rationalize 2026E NII expectations given the prospect of lower rates. … This anxiety seems borne out of JPM’s decision a little over a year ago to get ahead of the game and rationalize the following year’s NII and expense expectations. But for our part, we do not see this as a likely concern,” R. Scott Siefers of Piper Sandler wrote. What history shows: JPMorgan’s earnings have topped expectations for six straight quarters, per Bespoke. Johnson & Johnson is set to report earnings before the open, with a call slated for 8:30 a.m. Last quarter: JNJ posted earnings and revenue that beat the Street, sending the stock up 6%. This quarter: The pharma giant is expected to post earnings growth of more than 10%, per LSEG. What to watch: “We expect investor focus on the policy environment as it relates to any progress in JNJ’s own potential deal with the administration alongside MFN considerations, where we see JNJ as well positioned given the company’s diversified business model and its $55bn US manufacturing investment pledge,” Goldman Sachs analyst Asad Haider wrote. What history shows: J & J has topped analyst expectation in every quarter since 2011, Bespoke data shows. Wednesday Morgan Stanley is set to report earnings in the premarket. A call with analysts is set for 9:30 a.m. Last quarter: MS topped earnings expectations thanks to strong trading revenue . This quarter: Analysts see earnings growth of more than 10%, LSEG data shows. What to watch: “With market volumes and volatility healthy, activity in trading and IB activity are both showing momentum heading into the end of the year. Compared to 3Q24, overall Institutional Securities Group (ISG) revenue should increase with strength in trading as well as IB. Underlying Wealth Management (WM) trends remain positive though offset by lower transactional revenue while Investment Management (IM) should increase,” wrote Barclays analyst Jason Goldberg, who has an overweight rating on the stock. What history shows: Bespoke data shows Morgan Stanley exceeds earnings expectations 79% of the time. The stock also averages a 0.9% advance on earnings days. Bank of America is set to report earnings before the bell. Management will hold a call with analysts at 8:30 a.m. Last quarter: BAC posted mixed quarterly results . This quarter: The banking giant expected to post earnings growth of more than 15%, per LSEG. What to watch: “We expect BAC to deliver a standout IB quarter and $15.2bn in NII. The big question here is whether they can hold to $17.3bn in expenses for the quarter, and what the outlook is for 4Q,” wrote UBS analyst Erika Najarian, who has a buy rating on the stock. What history shows: BofA earnings has beaten earnings estimates 80% of the time. ( Learn the best 2026 strategies from inside the NYSE with Josh Brown and others at CNBC PRO Live. Tickets and info here . )
