It's that time again, folks -- earnings season. Last week, we saw Dow Jones Industrial Average
And the winners are ...
Microsoft
IBM
Lastly, and in keeping with the theme of mature industry leaders, economic bellwether General Electric
Foolish bottom line
As ardent investors for the long term, we Fools have mixed feeling about earnings season. Obviously, we strongly advocate staying informed and up to date about the issues driving your investments forward. But investors need to walk a fine line in dealing with companies and their quarterly performances. All companies, no matter how outstanding, encounter the periodic headwinds. If a company misses its estimates by a penny or two, what does that really mean for its long-term prospects anyway? Not much. So take these figures with a grain of salt, approach this quarterly ritual as a checkup, and leave it at that.
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