Weak U.S. earnings expectations set stage for stock gains

By Caroline Valetkevitch NEW YORK (Reuters) - When Wall Street's quarterly earnings season kicks in to high gear next week, hundreds of companies will vie for the bragging rights that come from "beating the Street" - showing revenues and profits that are higher than analysts expected. While the majority of companies typically beat forecasts, the bar for positive surprises may be even lower this time around, with analysts expecting profits of S&P 500 companies to be down 7.4 percent from a ye