Sources of Data

The following are the primary sources of data on businesses in general and their finances in particular:

• • The SEC. The main source of information about public companies is EDGAR—the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis, and Retrieval system. All public companies must file a wide range of reports with the SEC, including detailed financial statements, and virtually all of these reports and their exhibits are available free of charge on EDGAR.
• • Other government websites. The government is heavily involved in, among other things, data collection and dissemination. Government websites provide details about the economy as a whole, ranging from the latest economic indicators to a list of Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) codes.
• • Company websites. The “Investor Relations” section of a public company’s website usually contains links to a company’s most recent SEC filings and may also contain additional useful information, such as the annual report to shareholders or archives o