How to Read an Earnings Report: Beats, Misses and Guidance
Why a company can beat estimates and still see its stock fall — a practical guide to revenue, EPS, adjusted figures and forward guidance.
Financial news, explained.
Plain-language explanations of the reports, numbers and ideas that move markets — what they measure, how to read them, and what they do and do not tell you.
Reading the Jobs Report: Payrolls, Unemployment and Revisions
The monthly U.S. employment report comes from two different surveys. Knowing which number comes from where explains many of its puzzles.
Small Fees, Big Differences: How Fund Costs Compound Over 30 Years
A 1% annual fee sounds small. Over three decades it can consume almost a quarter of your ending balance. The arithmetic, step by step.
The P/E Ratio: What It Tells You and What It Hides
Trailing versus forward P/E, earnings yield, the Shiller CAPE, and five reasons a "cheap" stock may not be cheap.
Dollar-Cost Averaging vs. Lump Sum: What the Numbers Say
If you have a large sum to invest, should you invest it all at once or spread it out? The math favors one answer, but behavior matters too.
Stock Splits and Buybacks: What They Do (and Don't Do) for Shareholders
A split changes nothing about a company's value. A buyback can — depending on the price paid. How each works, with simple numbers.
"Stocks Fell on Fears of…": How to Read Market Headlines Critically
Daily market stories need a cause, but prices move for many reasons at once. Seven habits for reading financial news without being misled.
10 Investing Books Worth Reading (and What Each One Teaches)
From Graham to Housel — the books that best explain how markets work and how to invest sensibly, with a note on who each is for.
How to Read a Federal Reserve Rate Decision
The statement, the dot plot, the press conference and the minutes — what each part of a Fed decision tells you, and why markets sometimes move the "wrong" way.
The CPI Report: What It Measures and Why Markets Care
Headline versus core, month-over-month versus year-over-year, and why shelter costs dominate — a guide to the most-watched inflation number.
Why Bond Prices and Yields Move in Opposite Directions
A worked example of the most important relationship in fixed income, plus duration — the number that tells you how much a bond will move.
The Yield Curve, Explained: Why an Inversion Gets So Much Attention
What the yield curve is, which spreads analysts watch, why an inverted curve has historically preceded recessions — and the limits of the signal.
Understanding the Financial News: 10 Books on Crises, Central Banks and Markets
The headlines make more sense when you know the history. Ten books on financial crises, central banking and how markets really behave.