Here’s Why Investors Are More Focused on Earnings Than China

Worries about China’s economy may have tanked global markets earlier this year, but the focus now shifts to corporate earnings, according to one expert. ‘Earnings are actually more on the front burner than China is at this point,’ said Ian Winer, head of equity trading at Wedbush Securities, based in Los Angeles. ‘I think more people have assumed that China is going to continue to slow and now the key is, does the U.S. and U.S. multinationals really start to see the impact of that or are they somewhat insulated by the strength of the U.S.?’ Fresh data released Tuesday showed China’s economy grew by 6.9 percent in 2015, the slowest pace in a quarter century and 6.8 percent during fourth quarter. Investors had expected weaker GDP figures for quite some time. Concerns about the world’s second largest economy have contributed to the broad S&P 500’s 7.3 percent year-to-date decline. TheStreet’s Scott Gamm reports from Wall Street.