Recently, many friends have asked me how to grasp the rhythm of earnings season; actually, the key lies in understanding the release times of annual reports and when various financial statements come out. I’ve noticed that many people are still a bit unclear on this, so today I’ll share what I’ve organized with everyone.

First, let’s talk about Taiwan stocks. Taiwan’s regulations are quite strict; all listed companies must complete announcements within the statutory deadlines, which ensures a good level of transparency. What you need to know is that there are several key deadlines for the 2026 annual report release. Companies with paid-in capital less than 10 billion NT dollars must announce their self-consolidated financial information before March 16. Most companies’ annual reports are released by March 31, when auditors complete their review and certification. Financial holding companies with consolidated statements are delayed until April 30 due to complexity. But for mega-caps like TSMC and MediaTek, starting this year, they are required to report by March 15, so these giants usually act the fastest.

Besides the annual report release times, you also need to pay attention to the timing of the earnings calls. From late March to mid-May is the peak period for companies to hold annual report earnings presentations, especially mid to late March, which is the peak season. During this period, stock prices tend to fluctuate more because the market is digesting new financial data. For quarterly reports, large companies usually hold earnings calls before the official deadline. For example, TSMC’s Q1 earnings call was held on April 16 this year, followed by companies like Quanta and Lianji in subsequent rounds.

Taiwan stocks also have a rare global regulation: each company must announce last month’s revenue before the 10th of every month. Because these figures are real-time, investors often see them as leading indicators before the quarterly reports are released.

If you want to check specific financial report release dates, I recommend visiting the MOPS (Market Observation Post System), which is the official platform of the Taiwan Stock Exchange. All financial data must be disclosed there, so it’s very authoritative. Many brokerage apps also have organized earnings call calendars, so using those apps can be more convenient.

The logic for U.S. stocks is a bit different. When talking about “releasing earnings,” it usually refers to the time when companies issue press releases and hold earnings calls, not the deadline for SEC filings. Earnings calls are typically held before the official filings. The U.S. annual report is filed using Form 10-K, with deadlines based on the company size: large accelerated filers must file within 60 days after the fiscal year-end, so for 2025 reports, they need to file around March 2. Accelerated filers have 75 days, and smaller companies have 90 days. For non-U.S. companies listed in the U.S., like TSMC ADRs, they file Form 20-F, which has a more relaxed deadline—within four months after the fiscal year ends.

U.S. annual reports are concentrated from late January to the end of February, with most companies releasing them before the market opens or after hours, so there’s no need to wait for the SEC’s final deadline. For quarterly reports, large companies must submit Form 10-Q within 40 days after the quarter ends, smaller companies within 45 days. Earnings calls for quarterly reports usually start about 15 days after the quarter ends, beginning with banks, then moving into tech giants during the super earnings week. This quarter’s highlights include TSMC, Tesla, Microsoft, Alphabet, Meta, Amazon, and Apple taking turns releasing their results.

To look up U.S. earnings data, the most direct way is to visit the SEC EDGAR database or check the company’s investor relations website (just Google “Company Name Investor Relations”). If you want to get a broader view of multiple companies’ schedules, Yahoo Finance, Nasdaq’s website, Investing.com, and SeekingAlpha all have dedicated earnings calendars—very handy.

Honestly, mastering the timing of annual and quarterly reports is really helpful for investment decisions. Financial reports are the primary source of understanding a company’s health, and they often directly influence short-term stock price volatility and long-term trends. My experience is that knowing these key dates in advance allows you to have a better rhythm during earnings season, avoiding being swept up by market emotions. I hope this整理 helps everyone with their upcoming investment decisions.