quiet period

A period of time that begins when a company files a registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The quiet period lasts until the SEC’s staff declares the registration statement “effective,” or approves it. During this period, federal securities laws limit the information the company and related parties can release to the public.

Despite some corporate executives’ claims to the contrary, there is no such thing as a quiet period or period of silence before a company announces its quarterly or year-end financial results. Also called blackout period.