He will have made significant progress in changing Dow's lackluster and cyclical earnings pattern, but he will not have eliminated it.

FORBES: Chemical transformation

Earnings are one thing, but a demonstrable pattern on ongoing revenue suggests that a buyer will be able to maintain those earnings.

FORBES: Your company is profitable, but is it valuable?

You can also look at the first quarterly earnings season of 2010 and see the same pattern.

FORBES: The Ghosts Of Earnings Past

When I turn to year-to-date performers a distinct pattern emerges which is concentrated in companies with leveraged earnings power that sell at low valuations.

FORBES: Big Caps Adumbrate The Bull Market (With Exceptions)

U.S. equities were in a holding pattern Thursday as investors weighed a run of strong corporate earnings against the latest signals that the economic recovery is far from guaranteed.

FORBES: Magazine Article