Build a market-close recap that explains more than red and green

The short answer

Readers leave with a repeatable way to examine build a market-close recap that explains more than red and green, preserve the source trail, and decide what still needs human review.

The decision standard is simple: preserve the source, state the limits, and make the next human check obvious. A useful article should reduce uncertainty without pretending that every unknown has been resolved.

What to examine

A useful recap distinguishes observed moves from explanations that remain plausible but unproven.

Start with scope. Identify the security, account, time period, market, source, and decision involved. Then separate what was directly observed from forecasts, commentary, and promotional framing. Record dates, units, revisions, and market conditions because financial data and conclusions can change quickly.

This is general educational information, not individualized investment, trading, tax, or legal advice. Markets involve risk, and past performance does not guarantee future results.

A practical way to do it

1. Open the primary source and record the date, scope, and exact claim.
2. Separate observed facts from assumptions, forecasts, and promotional language.
3. Define the risk, the unanswered question, and the next human check before acting.

Keep the worksheet or test record with the draft. If another editor cannot reproduce the check from the saved evidence, the article is not ready.

Editorial guardrail

Do not fill a missing fact with a plausible sentence. Mark it as unknown, find a stronger source, narrow the claim, or remove it. Commentary belongs in a clearly labeled paragraph after the reported facts, not inside them.

Primary-source reading list

These are starting points, not automatic support for every sentence. The publishing editor must open each cited page and confirm the claim it supports on the day of review.

• U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
• Federal Reserve Economic Data