Donald Trump pushes to scrap quarterly earnings reports; SEC review gains attention, investors weigh long-term focus vs transparency

US President Donald Trump has renewed his call to end quarterly earnings reports for publicly traded companies, suggesting instead a six-month reporting period to ease costs and allow executives to focus on running their businesses, AP reported.In a post on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump wrote, “This will save money, and allow managers to focus on properly running their companies.” He proposed that securities regulators review the existing three-month requirement, which the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has enforced since 1970.Trump first pushed for a review of quarterly reporting during his previous term, but no changes were implemented.

The issue has gained renewed attention after the Long Term Stock Exchange, based in San Francisco, said last week it would petition the SEC to remove the quarterly mandate. The exchange lists companies prioritising long-term growth over short-term performance.Supporters of the shift argue that quarterly reporting is costly, time-consuming, and discourages companies from going public. They contend that frequent reporting can prompt executives to focus excessively on hitting short-term earnings targets rather than long-term strategic planning.Critics, however, emphasise that quarterly reports provide investors with timely financial information and help identify emerging risks, making them a key tool for transparency in public markets.