How to check the news behind a market move

Find the earliest source you can verify

Start with the original announcement, release or filing. A social post may point to it, but a screenshot can omit the publication date, later corrections or surrounding explanation. Record both the time of the event and the time the report was published.

For US company research, annual and quarterly filings are available through the SEC’s EDGAR system. A 10-K includes business information, risk factors, management’s discussion and financial statements. The company prepares these filings; their presence on EDGAR is not an SEC endorsement of their accuracy.

Further reading: Investor.gov: reading a 10-K or 10-Q

Put the event and the chart on one timeline

Write down the announcement time, the chart’s time zone and the interval you are comparing. Was the move already underway? Is the percentage measured from before the announcement or from an unrelated daily starting point? Did the headline describe a new event or repeat an older one?

Use a small hypothetical example to test your explanation. If an asset rises before a release and then stays flat afterward, a full-day gain should not be presented as proof that the release triggered the whole move. The observation and the proposed explanation are different claims.

Check whether sources are independent

Three websites quoting the same announcement provide three places to read one source. They do not necessarily provide three independent confirmations. Follow the links and identify what each report adds: a document, a direct statement, additional reporting or simply a rewritten headline.

When comparing stories, keep the exact company or asset in view. Shared ticker symbols and similar names can lead to unrelated coverage being grouped together. If a link does not establish that it concerns the asset you are examining, leave it out of your explanation.

Use wording that matches the evidence

“The price rose after the announcement” describes timing when the observations support it. “The announcement caused the rise” requires stronger evidence. “Related coverage” is useful when a story concerns the asset but its influence has not been established.

Synth Cards label automated context and link to the original source. Use that context as a prompt for further reading. When you share a card, add what you verified, name what remains uncertain and avoid turning an untested explanation into a confident prediction.