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Earnings Preview: 2 Metrics You Need to Watch This Quarter

By Chris Hill – Jan 7, 2014 at 2:59PM

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Earnings season is set to begin unofficially, when Alcoa reports on Thursday. Here are two metrics you should be watching this quarter.

In this video from Tuesday's edition of Investor Beat, host Chris Hill and Motley Fool analysts Matt Koppenheffer and Tim Hanson dig into the hardest-hitting investing stories from the market today.

Earnings season is just around the corner, and according to a Barron's survey, there is already a lot of optimism among Wall Street analysts this year, with predictions of double-digit growth in profits. In this segment, Matt and Tim each break down one metric that they'll be focusing in on heavily this quarter, as companies begin to report.

Chris Hill, Matt Koppenheffer, Tim Hanson, and The Motley Fool have no position in any of the stocks mentioned. We Fools don't all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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