Matt Levine’s Money Stuff: The SEC Had a Busy Week

It’s SEC silly season

Many companies do at least a little bit of earnings management and “window dressing.” If it is getting to be mid-to-late December and there is a sale that you have almost closed, or an expense that you’ll probably have to pay pretty soon, you will sit down and say “well, our year is almost over, do we want this sale (or expense) to count for this year, or next year?” The answer will depend on your particular situation, but often you will want to book revenue early and expenses late: You’ll rush to close the sale in December, ...