Strong dollar still tops the list Everett CollectionDon’t blame the dog for eating your homework.Being adults, most chief executives and other top corporate managers know they can’t get away with blaming their failure to deliver on run-ins with homework-eating canines or other unlikely mishaps. Fortunately for them, there are plenty of seemingly more believable excuses to choose from when it comes to delivering subpar quarterly results. Earnings season is just about to move into full swing. So far, just a smattering of S&P 500SPX, -0.68% companies have reported, but that sample offers up an early guide to the factors certain to be lamented in conference calls. Analysts at data provider FactSet combed through the transcripts of the 23 S&P 500 firms that had reported as of Oct. 7 to see how many companies used particular factors, such as “strong dollar” or “China” in a negative light or as a reason for underperformance in the quarter just completed or in guidance for future quarters. Here’s what they found: That companies are citing the stronger dollar isn’t a shock, as it has been a top negative factor for several quarters, the FactSet analysts noted. The dollar has rallied since mid-2014. In the past 12 months alone, the ICE dollar index DXY, -0.25% a measure of the U.S. unit against a basket of six major rivals, is up more than 10%, which may be a source of legitimate pain for some big multinationals. That said, the index rose just 0.8% in the third quarter after a 2.9% fall in the second quarter. Regardless, it looks like there will be plenty of opportunity for excuse-making in the weeks ahead. As of Oct. 9, the S&P 500 was forecast to report a year-over-year earnings decline of 5.5% in the third quarter, according to FactSet. While expectations usually lowball corporate performance, analysts note the steep decline may be too deep for positive earnings surprises to overcome. More from MarketWatch