Investors more bullish on good earnings and less bearish on bad

U.S. stock market investors are showing their bullish bias this earnings season, buying big on companies that beat expectations and going easy on selling companies that miss.

What's happening: "Shares of companies that topped forecasts rose an average of 2% in the two days after reporting results, beating the five-year average of 1%, according to data compiled by FactSet. Those that fell short have averaged a 2.1% pullback, below the half-decade average of 2.6%," WSJ's Michael Wursthorn reports.

• "So far, the winners are outpacing the losers. More than three-quarters of the 358 companies in the index that reported through Friday have beaten estimates. And 66% have risen in subsequent trading sessions, a five-year high."

Watch this space: The enthusiasm has come despite FactSet data showing overall S&P 500 earnings are on pace to decline by almost 3% in Q3, falling for the third quarter in a row.

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