Another quarterly earnings season starts on Thursday. Over the next two months, we would see stock tickers flashing, analysts dissecting numbers, and companies scrambling to meet or beat expectations. But as the dust settles, one question deserves more attention: is this obsession with quarterly results really serving the long-term interests of businesses and investors? On paper, quarterly result announcements have long been seen as the gold standard of corporate transparency. In practice, however, they often create a culture of short-termism.

Companies, fearful of a dip in share price or a harsh analyst downgrade, tend to prioritise cosmetic gains over sustainable strategy. Cost-cutting that undermines innovation, marketing blitzes that inflate sales for a quarter, or delayed investments

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