Earnings Calendar 2026

1. How Earnings Season Works

Public companies in the U.S. are required to report their financial results quarterly. Each reporting period covers three months of business activity, and results are typically released 3–6 weeks after the quarter ends. The four reporting windows — January/February, April/May, July/August, and October/November — are collectively called "earnings season."

Companies report both their actual results and provide guidance for the next quarter or full year. The market cares as much about guidance as it does about the reported numbers — a company can beat estimates but drop 10% if its forward guidance disappoints. This is why earnings season is the most volatile period of the year for individual stocks.

2. 2026 Earnings Season Schedule

3. Q4 2025 Earnings (Jan–Feb 2026)

Q4 2025 earnings season kicked off in January 2026 with the major banks — JPMorgan, Goldman Sachs, and Wells Fargo — setting the tone. The season was broadly positive, with the S&P 500 reporting approximately 12% year-over-year earnings growth for the quarter, driven primarily by continued AI infrastructure spending and resilient consumer demand.

4. Q1 2026 Earnings (Apr–May 2026)

Q1 2026 earnings season will be the first full quarter to reflect the impact of new tariff policies announced in early 2026. Analysts will be watching closely for margin compression in consumer goods, retail, and technology hardware companies that rely on imported components. Companies with domestic supply chains or pricing power should fare better.

Note: Q1 2026 dates are estimates based on historical reporting patterns. Confirm exact dates on each company's investor relations page.

5. Q2 2026 Earnings (Jul–Aug 2026)

Q2 2026 earnings will cover April through June — the first full quarter of summer consumer spending and the second quarter to reflect tariff impacts. Retail, consumer discretionary, and travel stocks will be in focus. The comparison period (Q2 2025) was strong for most sectors, setting a high bar for year-over-year growth.

Nvidia's Q2 2026 report (expected late August) will be the most watched single earnings event of the year. The company's data center revenue trajectory and commentary on AI infrastructure spending will set the tone for the entire technology sector.

6. Q3 2026 Earnings (Oct–Nov 2026)

Q3 2026 earnings season in October and November will coincide with the U.S. midterm election cycle and the Federal Reserve's September and November FOMC meetings. This creates an unusually macro-heavy backdrop for earnings season — expect heightened volatility as political and monetary policy uncertainty intersects with corporate results.

The holiday season pre-read will be critical: retailers and consumer companies will provide Q4 guidance that effectively tells you how confident they are in the consumer heading into the most important spending period of the year.

7. The Magnificent Seven: What to Watch

8. How to Trade Around Earnings

Earnings are the highest-risk, highest-reward events in stock trading. A few frameworks for navigating them:

The "buy the rumor, sell the news" effect. Stocks often rally in the weeks leading up to earnings as anticipation builds, then sell off even on a beat because the good news was already priced in. This is especially common for high-profile names like Nvidia and Apple. If you're long into earnings, consider trimming before the report.

Implied move vs. actual move. Options markets price in an "implied move" for earnings — the expected percentage swing in either direction. You can find this on any options chain. If the implied move is 8% and the stock typically moves 5% on earnings, the options are expensive. If the implied move is 5% and the stock typically moves 10%, the options are cheap.

Focus on guidance, not the beat. A company can beat EPS estimates by $0.10 and still drop 15% if it guides revenue below consensus. The market is always forward-looking — it cares more about what's coming than what just happened.

9. Key Metrics to Track Each Quarter

10. Earnings Glossary