Recently, I’ve noticed that many novice investors are not very familiar with the regular schedule of financial report releases. Actually, mastering this is really important. This year (2026) is a great learning opportunity because both the Taiwan stock market and the US stock market are approaching their earnings seasons intensively.

First, let’s talk about Taiwan stocks. The regulations in Taiwan are quite strict; all listed companies must follow a timetable with little flexibility. The annual reports for 2025 must be announced before March 31st, which is the deadline for most companies. However, for mega companies like TSMC and MediaTek, starting this year, they are required to report earlier, by March 15th. For quarterly reports, the Q1 deadline is May 15th, Q2 is August 14th, and Q3 is November 14th. My personal approach is to mark these financial report release dates on my calendar so I won’t miss the investor conference calls for key companies.

A feature of Taiwan stocks is that companies must announce last month’s revenue before the 10th of each month. This figure is released quite quickly and is often used by investors as a leading indicator before the quarterly reports. Additionally, the annual report investor conferences usually happen from late March to mid-May, with the peak season in mid to late March.

The schedule for US stock earnings releases is a bit different. US companies file their annual reports using Form 10-K, which is divided into three categories based on company size: large accelerated filers (market cap over $700 million) must file within 60 days after the fiscal year-end, so for 2025 reports, the deadline is around March 2nd. Mid-sized companies have 75 days, and small companies have 90 days. Quarterly reports (10-Q) have tighter deadlines: large companies have 40 days, small companies 45 days.

But here’s a key point to clarify: the timing of earnings release announcements is not the same as the official SEC filing. Companies usually hold earnings calls and issue press releases well before the official filing date. For example, for Q1 2026, TSMC is expected to hold an earnings call around April 16th, Tesla around April 20th, and the “super earnings week” for tech stocks is roughly between April 28th and May 1st, with Microsoft, Meta, Amazon, and Apple releasing their reports densely during this period.

My habit for checking earnings release times is as follows: for Taiwan stocks, I go directly to the Taiwan Stock Exchange’s official platform, the MOPS (Market Observation Post System), which is the most authoritative source where all listed companies must publish their financial data. For US stocks, I check the SEC’s EDGAR database or use websites like Yahoo Finance, Nasdaq’s official site, Investing.com, or SeekingAlpha, which organize earnings calendars. Many brokerage apps also have built-in earnings calendar features, which are quite convenient.

Honestly, understanding the schedule of earnings releases has a significant impact on investment decisions. During earnings season, stock prices often fluctuate quite intensely. If you can anticipate the timing of companies’ earnings calls, you can better plan your trading strategies. Whether for short-term trading or long-term investing, earnings reports are the most direct data to assess a company’s health, so it’s worth spending time to study them.