Wall Street’s third-quarter earnings season is off to an impressive start, with major US companies posting stronger-than-expected results despite ongoing trade tensions and economic uncertainty. According to Yahoo Finance’s Brian Sozzi, the early wave of reports shows “Corporate America is wowing” investors — from automakers and banks to telecoms and toy makers.
General Motors (GM) led the charge, beating estimates and raising guidance as CFO Paul Jacobson cited a “resilient consumer” and stable auto loan trends. Hasbro (HAS) and Mattel (MAT) both reported accelerating toy sales ahead of the holiday season, while T-Mobile (TMUS) added more new phone customers than expected and raised its profit outlook.
Even as Netflix (NFLX) stock slipped 1.7% following a one-time expense, analysts defended the company’s performance, noting strong double-digit sales growth and an ambitious 2026 content slate. Other bright spots included Hilton (HLT) and AT&T (T), which posted healthy earnings and reaffirmed consumer strength, and Delta Air Lines (DAL), which topped forecasts.
Evercore ISI data shows S&P 500 earnings up 13.2% year-on-year and sales up 8.3%, with results beating analyst expectations by an average of 6.1% — a sign of broad resilience across sectors.
“The good news is earnings are going to grow meaningfully next year, up double digits,” said Great Hill Capital’s Tom Hayes, adding that strong fundamentals could continue to “feed the appetite of the bulls.”
Despite tariffs, geopolitical risks, and margin pressure, early earnings reports suggest that US corporations are managing to sustain growth — and for now, investors are rewarding that resilience.
