SEC Drafting Plan to Make Quarterly Earnings Reports Optional, WSJ Reports

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is preparing a proposal to remove the requirement for listed companies to file quarterly earnings reports and allow them to opt for semiannual disclosures instead, with the draft potentially released as early as next month, The Wall Street Journal reported on March 17. Regulators have discussed the plan with exchange officials to assess necessary rule changes, and the proposal will undergo at least 30 days of public comment before an SEC vote, with the framework making quarterly filings optional rather than eliminating them. In September last year, the LongTerm Stock Exchange petitioned the SEC to end mandatory quarterly reporting, and within days both President Trump and SEC Chair Atkins expressed support for the concept, though U.S. public companies have been required to report earnings every three months for over 50 years.