Earnings rush is on

For more than 3 1/2 years, earnings for companies in the Standard & Poor’s 500 index grew at a double-digit pace. That slowed late last year, and analysts predict it cooled even more in the first three months of this year. S&P;’s recent estimate of first-quarter earnings growth is 3.8%.

Today, Citigroup is expected to release earnings of $1.08 a share. The bank’s stock closed at $51.60 a share Friday after trading in a 52-week range of $46.22 to $57.

Tech leaders Intel Corp. and IBM Corp. release results Tuesday. Wall Street predicts Intel will post a profit of 22 cents a share. Intel closed Friday at $20.46 after trading in a 52-week range of $16.75 to $22.50.

IBM is expected to report earnings of $1.21 a share; the stock closed Friday at $94.93, at the upper end of its 52-week range of $72.73 to $100.90.

Internet search company Google Inc. and financial powerhouse Merrill Lynch & Co. release their quarterly earnings Thursday. Google is expected to post a profit of $3.04 a share; its stock closed Friday at $466.29 after trading in a 52-week range of $360.57 to $513.

Analysts are forecasting per-share profit of $1.94 for Merrill, which closed Friday at $86.28 after trading in a 52-week range of $64.58 to $98.68.

Friday will see financial results from Caterpillar Inc. The market is predicting the manufacturer will post earnings of $1.09 a share. The company closed Friday at $66.79. It has traded in a 52-week range of $57.98 to $82.03.