The Globe and Mail reports in its Wednesday, July 19, edition that Goldman Sachs chief U.S. strategist David Kostin outlined the four major themes for the current earnings season in a recent report. The Globe's Scott Barlow writes that for one, Mr. Kostin is concerned that retailers' fading pricing power as inflation dissipates will result in flat profit-margin growth after 10 straight quarters of improving profitability. He also notes that the U.S. banking crisis has eased, but tighter lending conditions may limit earnings for some companies. Third, he says that this earnings season may also see concrete gains from companies able to harness artificial intelligence to improve profits. Last, Mr. Kostin is looking for signs that consumption is plateauing along with job growth.