Nasdaq CEO Advocates for Reporting Flexibility for Public Companies

Nasdaq CEO Adena Friedman has publicly supported reforms aimed at reducing the reporting obligations for public companies, following renewed calls from President Donald Trump to end mandatory quarterly reporting. Citing a Reuters report, Friedman advocates for granting public companies the option to report financial results on either a quarterly or semi-annual basis. In a LinkedIn post, Friedman explained her rationale: to combat "short-termism, exacerbated by quarterly reporting." She contends that lessening the costs and complexities associated with public company status could invigorate U.S. capital markets and stimulate economic growth. The Reuters report also highlights another specific reform previously proposed by Nasdaq: standardizing the earnings press release. This change would enable the press release to fully substitute the more demanding quarterly Form 10-Q. Such a shift in reporting requirements would bring U.S. practices in line with those observed in the United Kingdom and several European Union countries.