Let’s recap earnings season results as a whole before we dive into the energy sector. Consider the following from earnings authority FactSet: 77% of companies that have reported have posted earnings above the mean estimate, while 43% have reported sales above the mean estimate.

As it stands, the blended earnings decline for the S&P 500 Index this quarter is -3.8%, which would mark the first back-to-back quarters of earnings declines since 2009.

Below is a look at some of the biggest energy names reporting quarterly results this week on Wall Street.

See a list of all companies reporting earnings this week here .

Note the ticker of each stock is linked to results from ETFdb’s proprietary (and free) ETF Stock Exposure Tool. How does it work and what does it do? Just search for any ticker and you’ll see which ETFs hold that stock, if any, and how much of their portfolio is allocated to it.

• Occidental Petroleum (OXY) was expected to report EPS of $0 today before the bell, and beat earnings with an EPS of $0.03.
• Valero Energy (VLO) was expected to report EPS of $2.64 today before the bell, and beat earnings with an EPS of $2.79.
• Tesoro (TSO) is expected to report EPS of $6.05 on Wednesday after the bell.
• Murphy Oil (MUR) is expected to report EPS of $-0.95 on Wednesday after the bell.
• Exxon Mobil (XOM) is expected to report EPS of $0.89 on Friday before the bell.
• Chevron Corporation (CVX) is expected to report EPS of $0.79 on Friday before the bell.
• ConocoPhillips (COP) is expected to report EPS of $-0.38 on Thursday before the bell.
• Phillips 66 (PSX) is expected to report EPS of $2.27 on Friday before the bell.

For some, making a sector-wide bet might be preferable instead of isolating a fund that has meaningful exposure to a single name. To do this, be sure to utilize the sector ETFs available this earnings season. We recommend starting on the ETF Trading Cheat Sheet; it conveniently lists all leveraged and inverse options where available.

If you’re unfamiliar with these types of products, consider the resources in these education centers:

• Learn about Leveraged ETFs
• Learn about Inverse ETFs

Regardless of which ETFs you wish to trade this earnings season, be sure to take basic precautions so you don’t run the risk of sloppy trade execution. This entails making simple but important decisions come transaction time, such as using limit orders when buying or selling, and being mindful to take advantage stop-losses and trailing stops, especially if you’re dealing with inverse or leveraged products.

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