Guide

Reading earnings language

An “earnings beat” is a comparison to a consensus estimate, not proof that a business is cheap or safe. Estimates move. One-time items move GAAP numbers. Companies also publish non-GAAP figures that exclude costs they consider unusual; those exclusions can be recurring in spirit.

“Guidance” is a management statement about a future period. It can be withdrawn. It is not a guarantee and it is not advice to you.

Headlines about options activity describe what some traders did, not what you should do. Flow can be hedging. It can be wrong. It can be reported late or incompletely.

If you trade or invest, that decision is yours and may be unsuitable. This page names no securities as recommendations.