NEW YORK — Apple, Amazon and Nike collectively recovered billions from a $166 billion tariff refund pool processed through U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Apple received an estimated $2.2 billion, Amazon $600 million and Nike $300 million.

The refunds originate from tariffs imposed by President Trump. The Tax Foundation estimated those tariffs cost the average American household approximately $1,000 in higher prices during 2025. Consumers received little benefit from the subsequent refunds.

Nike, Oracle and FedEx appear on Zacks.com's list of companies likely to post earnings surprises in 2026's first quarter, contributing to a broader favorable revisions trend for aggregate corporate profitability.

Overall S&P 500 earnings are projected to rise 13.4 percent in the first quarter of 2026 compared with the same period last year, on the back of an expected 9 percent revenue increase. Estimates for the current quarter have trended higher in recent weeks.

The Energy sector is doing heavy lifting in that picture. The Zacks Energy sector now projects 7.6 percent earnings growth in the first quarter of 2026—up sharply from 0.9 percent growth anticipated a week earlier and a 1.9 percent decline projected at the start of January.

For full-year 2026, the sector's earnings growth forecast stands at 16.3 percent, up from 10 percent expected a week earlier and 5.4 percent at the start of January.

The Zacks Energy sector is now expected to earn $28.5 billion in the first quarter, versus $26.8 billion projected one week ago. That revision reflects expectations that the current spike in oil prices will ease: futures market pricing signals participants do not expect supply disruptions to persist beyond the next few weeks.

High oil prices function as a tax on U.S. households in a consumption-driven economy, weighing on consumer spending. The United States is the world's largest oil producer, however, which offsets some of that drag. Stronger profitability from domestic energy assets helps cushion the consumer hit—a dynamic that import-dependent economies such as Japan, South Korea, Germany and France do not enjoy, making high oil prices a more severe economic burden for those countries.

Energy sector stocks have been standout performers recently, reflecting their improving profitability outlook.