Platform Guide · Lesson 6 of 13
Research the Business and the Calendar Around It
Use Research for a company’s financials, estimates, filings and valuation, and the Calendar for the events inside your holding period.
In this lesson
- Compare financial figures on the same basis
- Read a valuation estimate as the product of its assumptions
- Find scheduled events that fall inside a holding period
Research covers the selected company: a snapshot, financial statements, estimates and earnings-call transcripts, SEC filings, and valuation workbenches with editable scenarios. ETFs get their own holdings and flows view.
- Revenue is sales before expenses; profit is what remains after them; cash flow tracks cash moving through the business. A company can report a profit while generating weak cash flow.
- Compare periods on the same basis, and check dates, units and the source of each figure.
- A valuation estimate depends on its inputs. Change the scenario and the estimate changes with it; missing information is not evidence of low risk.
The Calendar lists economic releases, earnings, IPOs and FDA dates. A forecast is an expectation and a released figure is an observation. Check the time and time zone, and remember that an estimated date can change.
Note Which plans include it
The economic calendar is on every plan. Research, Screeners and the earnings and IPO calendars are included in Retail. The FDA calendar is included in Advance.
Check your understanding
1 question. Answer each one, then open “Show answer” to compare.
Show answer
Answer: False.
Accounting profit and cash flow can diverge, for example when customers pay late or the company invests heavily. Read both.
Key takeaways
- Read more than one financial measure.
- A valuation is only as good as its assumptions.
- Check event times and time zones, and expect dates to move.
Try it in StratosHedge
Open Research for a company you know and compare its revenue growth with its cash flow over the same periods.
Open Research Needs: Retail plan
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Educational content, not investment advice. Lessons describe how markets and models tend to behave. They don’t tell anyone what to buy, sell or hold. Interactive examples use illustrative sample data, and simulator results are simulated — not actual trading. Options involve risk and are not suitable for all investors.
Risk disclosureCharacteristics and Risks of Standardized Options (OCC) (opens in a new tab)