The big picture
A data portal becomes useful when each number can be traced to the question it answers. The PSX Data Portal brings together market information and issuer disclosures, but finding a figure is only the beginning. This topic teaches you to preserve dates, definitions and source documents so that another reader can reproduce your research. It also replaces the misleading idea that a director purchase automatically means a share should be bought.
Core concepts
Learning objectives
- Locate relevant market, company and announcement information.
- Record a reproducible source trail and reporting basis.
- Check historical series before calculating returns.
- Interpret director disclosures without assuming intent or investment merit.
Start with a research question
1.1 Choose the correct information route
Begin with a specific question: what did the company report, what traded during a period, or what corporate event changed the share count? Market summaries, historical data and financial reports serve different purposes. A live-looking quote is not an annual-report input; an announcement timestamp is not necessarily the date of the event described. Use the portal navigation that matches the question rather than collecting every available number.
1.2 Identify the security before copying data
Confirm the symbol, issuer name, security class and market before proceeding. Similar names, changed symbols and group companies can cause false matches. Record the access date and the effective date of the information separately. Where a record links to a PDF, save the original document as evidence instead of relying on the short listing description. A missing field remains a verification gap, not permission to estimate it.
Step-by-step method
- Write the research question before opening a data section.
- Confirm issuer, security class, market and relevant dates.
- Save the original attachment and its source reference.
A learner wants the latest earnings figure but finds a market screen first. The correct next step is the financial filing, not annualising a summary value whose period or group basis has not been established.
Read company announcements as a timeline
2.1 Events, amendments and final documents
An announcement is a document in an evolving sequence. A board meeting notice, approved results, dividend recommendation and final entitlement timetable are related but different records. Later corrections can alter an earlier headline. Build a chronology containing the publication date, event date, document type and any replacement notice. Avoid treating a proposal as a completed transaction or assuming every material event is captured by one headline.
2.2 Statements, approvals and conditions
Read the attachment for conditions, units and authorisation language. Management forecasts differ from reported results; a proposed acquisition differs from an executed one. Compare the exchange record with the issuer’s official investor-relations version when a material inconsistency arises. The objective is not to predict the next price move from a keyword. It is to establish what is known, what is conditional and which next document would resolve uncertainty.
Step-by-step method
- List related notices in date order.
- Distinguish proposal, approval, execution and completion.
- Mark superseded documents and unresolved conditions.
An investor sees a distribution headline and later discovers an amended timetable. A dated event log identifies which document governs the entitlement question and prevents the earlier screenshot from being treated as the final evidence.
Prepare historical prices for analysis
3.1 Dates, observations and missing sessions
Historical data must be defined before it is used. Record whether observations are daily, weekly or another frequency; distinguish trading days from calendar days. Check duplicated dates, absent observations, changes in identifiers and zero-volume sessions. A missing value is not a zero price. Align every comparison to the same date convention and preserve the untouched download beside any cleaned version.
3.2 Corporate-action and return definitions
Prices can change mechanically after a split, bonus issue, rights event or distribution. Determine whether a series is adjusted and what that adjustment covers; do not assume every chart uses total return. A price-only calculation omits cash distributions, while adding distributions to an already adjusted total-return series can double-count them. State the methodology and test a known event before trusting a long return series.
Step-by-step method
- Document frequency, date range, units and adjustment convention.
- Check missing or duplicated observations before calculation.
- Reconcile a corporate-action date against the original notice.
A large overnight price drop appears in an unadjusted series around a share-count change. The learner checks the event and adjustment method before describing the movement as a comparable economic loss. No event-adjusted return is guessed from the chart alone.
Interpret disclosed director transactions
4.1 A reported transaction is not a trading instruction
Reported transactions by directors or other specified persons can be relevant governance evidence, but their meaning depends on the disclosure. Read who transacted, the relationship, quantity, price, date and transaction category. A transfer, gift or other movement may not be an ordinary market purchase. Use the announcement record to verify the details rather than assuming the portal has a permanent section with one fixed label.
4.2 Context, size and alternative explanations
A purchase may reflect several motives, and a sale may fund a personal obligation rather than express a negative business view. Compare the transaction with existing ownership, public information and its economic significance. It does not establish access to superior lawful information or guarantee a subsequent return. Trading on unlawfully obtained material non-public information is a different issue from analysing a public disclosure. Do not confuse the two.
Step-by-step method
- Read the complete disclosure and identify the transaction category.
- Evaluate size relative to disclosed holdings and relevant context.
- Record alternative explanations before drawing an analytical conclusion.
A disclosed movement has a large share count but no market-purchase indication. The research note records the actual category and avoids publishing an automatic buy signal based solely on the title of the notice.
Create a reproducible evidence file
5.1 Separate raw evidence from analysis
A research folder should retain original documents, a source register and a separate working sheet. Each important output should link to an input with units, period and a transformation rule. Keep fact, calculation and opinion visibly distinct. If a portal summary differs from a filed statement, investigate timing, restatement, consolidation and definitions instead of silently replacing one value with another.
5.2 Review permissions, limitations and updates
Public access to a website does not automatically grant rights to redistribute market data commercially or to operate an unrestricted automated feed. Check PSX’s applicable data terms and licences for the intended use. A learning exercise can use source links and original reasoning without republishing a live data service. Set update triggers after new filings and keep the original version so changes are explainable.
Step-by-step method
- Build a source register with original URLs and document dates.
- Record each calculation and unresolved discrepancy separately.
- Check data-use rights before redistribution or automation.
Deliver a small research pack containing one issuer filing, an announcement timeline and a documented historical-data check. Another learner should be able to reproduce the reasoning without needing private account access or trusting an unexplained screenshot.
From question to reproducible research
- Define the question and security
- Locate the original record
- Preserve dates, units and basis
- Check events and reconcile differences
- Calculate, then label the interpretation
Reference table
| Question | Record | Main check |
|---|---|---|
| What happened? | Issuer announcement | Event versus publication date |
| What did it earn? | Filed financial statements | Period, units and group basis |
| What traded? | Historical quotation record | Frequency and adjustment convention |
| Who reported a transaction? | Original director/person disclosure | Identity, category, quantity and context |
| Can I republish it? | Applicable data terms | Rights for the intended use |
Glossary of key terms
- Adjustment convention
- Rules used to alter a historical series for specified events.
- Consolidation basis
- Whether figures refer to a group or a separate legal entity.
- Event date
- When the reported transaction or business event occurred.
- Issuer
- The company or entity that issues a security.
- Raw data
- An unchanged source observation retained before cleaning or calculation.
- Source register
- A record of documents, dates, definitions and references.
- Timestamp
- The recorded time associated with publication, observation or retrieval.
Frequently asked questions
Is a director purchase a buy signal?
It is evidence to interpret, not an automatic recommendation or return guarantee.
Can I assume a price series includes dividends?
No. Verify adjustment and return definitions before combining data.
What if a portal summary differs from the filing?
Investigate dates, units, reporting basis, revisions and methodology; preserve both records.
Can public market data be redistributed freely?
Not automatically. Check PSX’s applicable rights and licensing terms for your use.
Common pitfalls
| Common mistake | A better approach |
|---|---|
| Copying a number without its period | Record dates, units and reporting basis. |
| Using a missing observation as zero | Retain the gap and investigate it. |
| Ignoring corrected announcements | Maintain a dated chronology and identify superseded records. |
| Inferring motive from a director transaction | Read the category, scale and alternative explanations. |
Your learner task
Create a reproducible research file for one issuer using official source links: identity check, filing reference, announcement timeline, historical-series definition and one disclosed transaction or an explicit note that none was located. Separate verified facts from your interpretation.
Sources & verification
Use the linked documents to check the factual and regulatory context. Source dates and limitations are stated where relevant. Educational examples and analytical frameworks are not personalised recommendations.
- PSX · Data Portal ↗
Official navigation for market summaries, historical data and issuer disclosures. Sections and labels can change.
- PSX · Financial reports ↗
Official issuer annual and interim report archive; verify reporting period and consolidation basis.
- PSX · Corporate announcements ↗
Original announcements support event chronology; a disclosure is not a recommendation.
Editorial review: 22 October 2026