An 8-K is a current report that a US public company files with the SEC to disclose a material event between its quarterly reports, generally within four business days of that event. Because an 8-K exists specifically to announce something new and material, it is one of the most direct sources of price-moving information available to the public, and it is free to read.
The three most common filings differ mainly in timing. Two are scheduled; one is not.
| Filing | When | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
10-K | Annually | Comprehensive annual report: audited financials, risk factors, business overview |
10-Q | Quarterly | Unaudited quarterly financials and updates |
8-K | Event-driven, usually within 4 business days | One specific material event that happened between scheduled reports |
That unscheduled nature is exactly what makes 8-Ks interesting. A 10-K is largely anticipated and heavily pre-analysed. An 8-K arrives when something has just happened.
Every 8-K is organised by numbered "items" that identify what is being disclosed. There are dozens, but a small number account for most of the market-moving filings:
| Item | Disclosure | Typical relevance |
|---|---|---|
1.01 | Entry into a material definitive agreement | High — major contracts, partnerships, acquisitions |
2.02 | Results of operations (earnings release) | High — frequently the largest single-day moves |
5.02 | Departure or appointment of directors/officers | Varies — an unexpected CEO or CFO exit can be significant |
1.03 | Bankruptcy or receivership | Severe |
4.01 | Change in certifying accountant | Worth attention — auditor changes can signal disputes |
4.02 | Non-reliance on previously issued financials | Severe — a restatement announcement |
7.01 / 8.01 | Regulation FD disclosure / other events | Mixed — ranges from routine to material |
Item 4.02 deserves special attention. It means the company is saying its own previously published financial statements should no longer be relied upon. It is rare and consistently serious.
Prices move on surprise, not on news. An 8-K reporting an outcome the market already priced in may cause no reaction at all, while a smaller but unanticipated disclosure can produce a large one. Three factors drive the size of the move:
A practical consequence: the headline alone is often insufficient. "Company announces restructuring" could be routine or existential depending on the actual filing text, which is why reading the item number and body matters.
All of them are public on the SEC's EDGAR database. Search by company name or ticker and filter by filing type. Filings appear on EDGAR as soon as they are accepted, which is typically ahead of coverage by news outlets that summarise them.
The practical difficulty is volume: thousands are filed, most are routine, and the ones that matter are not labelled as such. That filtering problem is precisely what Tradow's market news feed addresses, scoring incoming filings and financial news for sentiment and estimated impact so the significant ones surface.
Tradow's Market News feed monitors SEC EDGAR 8-K filings and financial news, scoring each for sentiment and estimated stock impact. Free to browse while the rest of the platform is in private beta.
Open the free preview →This article is educational and general in nature. It is not investment advice, not a recommendation to buy or sell any security, and does not account for your personal circumstances. Tradow AI LLC is not a registered investment adviser. Filing requirements are summarised here for general understanding; consult the SEC's official guidance for authoritative detail.