Bell Direct equities strategist, Julia Lee, comments on:

• August reporting season stats (0:36)
• Traditional defensives hit (1:07)
• Dividend growth from miners (1:25)
• Stocks under pressure (1:40)
• Private health insurance & hospital downsides (3:00)
• Best & worst performers this reporting season (4:50)

This earnings season, we have seen a downgrade of 0.3%. 

Only 15% of companies have beat expectations, 60% have come in line and 30% have missed market consensus. 

Dividend growth has come from the mining side, with BHP and FMG both managing to double their dividends from a year ago.

Stocks like MYX, VOC, ISD and DMP have further fallen under pressure.

The number of Australians insured for hospital insurance fell for the first time, with NIB Holdings and Healthscope disappointing the market. 

To give us an idea of what trends are likely to continue in the next 5-6 months, keep an eye on the top and bottom performers.