The first quarter was a weird one. Last week, we learned from the Census bureau that US GDP growth nearly grinded to a zero, even as the employment cost index suggested worker pay growth was accelerating. The Census' take has been reflected in the message telegraphed by the managements of companies announcing their Q1 earnings in recent weeks. "Similar to last quarter, companies have been discussing the impact of slower global economic growth, the stronger dollar, and lower oil prices during their earnings conference calls for Q1," FactSet's John Butters said on Friday. We'll get some more color on all this as more ... (full story)