S&P 500 Q2 2026 earnings are forecast to rise 21.2% year on year on revenue growth of 10.7%, with 11 of 16 Zacks sectors expected to post positive earnings growth. Expectations have been revised higher as the quarter progressed: the Q2 growth forecast has moved up from 18% at the start of April to 21.2% currently, and estimates have increased for five sectors — Tech, Energy, Basic Materials, Utilities and Business Services. Tech is projected to deliver 42% earnings growth, and stripping out its contribution would leave the rest of the index at 11.3% growth rather than 21.2%.
Revisions remain broadly positive, though Q2 estimates have edged down in recent days. Since early April, positive estimate revisions have been recorded in Energy, Tech, Basic Materials, Industrials, Utilities and Business Services, and the aggregate would be modestly lower without upgrades in Energy and Tech. In selected names, Zacks Consensus Q2 EPS estimates for Dow and LyondellBasell have more than doubled over the past month, while Methanex is up by more than 30%; by contrast, Transportation, Autos, Medical and Consumer Discretionary have faced renewed downgrade pressure.
Market Positioning and Sector Opportunities
Given the strong earnings outlook for Q2, we believe the market’s overall direction is upward heading into the July reporting season. The CBOE Volatility Index (VIX) is currently trading near 14, which is relatively low compared to its three-month average of 16.5. This suggests that now is an opportune time to buy call options on broad market indices like the SPX, as premium costs are cheaper than they have been recently.
We see the most significant opportunity in the Technology sector, where earnings are expected to surge by 42%. Chipmaker stocks, in particular, have seen implied volatility for their July options increase by 5% over the past week, signaling market anticipation of strong results. We are positioning for this by acquiring long-dated calls on major technology ETFs to capture this expected upward momentum.
The Energy sector’s outlook has also improved dramatically due to ongoing geopolitical tensions. WTI crude oil futures for July delivery have stabilized around $95 per barrel, a level not seen since late 2024, which directly supports the positive earnings revisions for energy producers. This reinforces our conviction in holding call positions on leading companies within the sector.
Sector Divergence and Tactical Trades
However, we must also acknowledge the clear divergence between sectors. The most recent retail sales report showed a 0.5% month-over-month decline, lending credibility to the downward earnings revisions seen in the Consumer Discretionary and Autos sectors. This weakness presents a clear opportunity for bearish positions or pairs trading.
To capitalize on this divergence, we are constructing trades that go long on strength and short on weakness. A specific strategy involves using bull call spreads on the Technology Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLK) while simultaneously buying bear put spreads on the Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLY). This approach is designed to profit from the widening performance gap we anticipate over the coming weeks.
