Quiet period
In the US, a quiet period is when the company going through an IPO to list on a share market must be quiet about the business. This is mandated by the SEC and often covers the dates between when documents are filed with the SEC and 40 days after the listing date. The aim is to enable the SEC to review and verify the information they’ve been given, and protect investors by ensuring the company doesn’t falsely inflate their value leading up to the listing date.
Quarter, or fiscal quarters
A quarter is three months in a company’s earnings calendar that measures one quarter of the financial year. Companies listed on the share markets are required to prepare and make public their quarterly earnings reports. Quarters are numbered Q1, Q2, Q3 and Q4, often with the year, eg. Q1 2023. The fiscal year runs from 1 January to 31 December, and fiscal quarters measure Q1 Jan-Mar, Q2 Apr-Jun, Q3 Jul-Sept, Q4 Oct-Dec. Not all companies operate on the fiscal year.
