NEW YORK, February 8 (FinanceEnquiry.com) - Earnings of the fourth quarter are continuing to filter in as nearly 50% of the companies in the S&P 500 already reported. Some of the company's fourth quarter results have exceeded analyst expectations, boosting the broad market exchange-traded funds, such as the SPDR S&P 500 (NYSEArca: SPY).

Though, the earnings of S&P 500 continue to grow, the pace is comparatively slower than other quarters. The earnings reported by various companies are not at the noticeable record levels as seen in earlier quarters. As per the facts presented by UBS, the growth for the fourth quarter is only at 1.6 percent, if the earnings of Apple, Inc. (NASDAQ: APPL) are excluded. The result is weak as compared to results of the other quarters, where growth came in at 15 percent, 17 percent and 16.5 percent in the first, second and third quarter, respectively.

However, the numbers and sentiment are not negative, as 56 percent of the S&P 500 companies have topped analysts’ expectations, and 32 percent have been below expectations. Approximately 59 percent of the companies have reported their Q4 earning. Further, 51 percent of the companies have exceeded the revenue expectations, and 49 percent are below the mark. If the financial sector is excluded, the earnings may go 3.76 percent lower than last years.