Why it matters

Companies may lengthen an accounting period once every five years, no reason required — and the dominant real-world reason is buying up to nine extra months before the numbers must be shown. A stretch right after years of routine annual filings is management hiding the year they don't want to file.

The play

An early credit/turnaround flag with a built-in clock: the stretched accounts eventually land, and they are rarely good. Engage before they do.

How it's kept honest

The badge is recomputed nightly across the whole index, and re-evaluated live the moment a company files — so a match is always a statement about the current register, not a stale list. Like every signal on the radar: a prompt to look closer, never a verdict.