Recently, a friend asked me how to track earnings season, and I realized that many people aren't very clear about the rules for the timing of the first quarter's financial report announcements. Instead of waiting to be caught off guard by market fluctuations, it's better to understand the schedule for Taiwan stocks and U.S. stocks now.

Let's start with Taiwan stocks. Taiwan's financial reporting regulations are actually quite strict, and transparency is high. All listed companies must complete their disclosures before the statutory deadline. Looking ahead to 2026, annual reports must be announced before March 31 (financial holding companies have an extension until April 30), then they enter the quarterly reporting cycle. The first quarter earnings are usually announced before mid-May, specifically by May 15. During this period, stock prices tend to fluctuate more because large companies hold their earnings calls early. For example, industry leaders like TSMC and MediaTek usually announce in mid to late April, well before the deadline.

There's also a detail many people overlook: Taiwan stocks must report last month's revenue before the 10th of each month. This is actually a leading indicator before the quarterly reports, and many investors use this to gauge company performance in advance.

The rules are a bit different for U.S. stocks. The annual report is called 10-K, and quarterly reports are 10-Q. The filing deadlines depend on the company's size. Large accelerated filers (market cap over $700 million) must submit their quarterly reports within 40 days after the quarter ends, so Q1 earnings are roughly announced around mid-May. But this is just the SEC filing deadline; the actual earnings calls are usually much earlier. After each quarter ends, about 15 days later, companies start to reveal information. Typically, bank stocks kick off the season, followed by tech stocks during the "super earnings week." For Q1 this year, TSMC ADRs are expected to release around April 16, Tesla around April 20, Alphabet on April 22, Microsoft and Meta around April 28-29, and Amazon and Apple between April 29 and May 1.

To stay on top of this information, Taiwan investors can check the Public Information Observation Station (MOPS), which is the most authoritative data source—every company must publish financial data there. For U.S. stocks, you can visit the SEC website directly or use platforms like Yahoo Finance or Nasdaq. Many brokerage apps also have organized earnings calendars, which are quite convenient.

Honestly, understanding these details about the timing of Q1 earnings releases can significantly help your investment decisions. Earnings season is when stock prices fluctuate the most. Knowing the schedule in advance allows you to prepare early; otherwise, you might get caught up in the market momentum and suffer losses.