research

Perform qualitative research and analysis for ticker symbol $ARGUMENTS.

The research output serves two purposes: (1) provide structured qualitative intelligence that feeds into /calibrate (calibrate) and /report, and (2) be a useful standalone document for the user.

Python Environment

When running Python code, set PYTHONPATH so stock_analyzer is importable:

PYTHONPATH="${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT:-.}" python3 -c "from stock_analyzer import ..."

Output Template

The research document MUST follow this structure exactly. Every signal field MUST have a value.

# {Company} ({TICKER}) — Research
**Date:** YYYY-MM-DD

## Business Context
[2-3 sentences: what the company does, how it makes money, scale]

## Growth Outlook
**Growth signal:** Accelerating / Stable / Decelerating
**Confidence:** High / Medium / Low
[prose]

## Competitive Position & Moat
**Moat:** Wide / Narrow / None
**Direction:** Widening / Stable / Narrowing
[prose]

## Margin & Profitability
**Margin signal:** Expanding / Stable / Compressing
[prose]

## Capital Efficiency
**Capital intensity:** Light / Moderate / Heavy
[prose]

## Key Risks
[2-3 material risks only]

## Key Debate
[prose]

Steps:

1. Load Financial Data for Context

• Initialize StockManager from stock_analyzer.stock_manager
• Try StockManager.load_financial_data("$ARGUMENTS") to check for cached data
• If cached data exists: Use it (display "Using cached data from {fetched_at}")
• If no cached data: Invoke /fetch $ARGUMENTS first, then load the cached data
• If no data available at all (fetch failed, no API key): Proceed with web-only research. Note in the output: "Research based on public sources only — no financial data context available."

2. Identify Questions from the Data

Before searching, review the financial data for anything surprising or unclear. Examples:

• Revenue growth changing direction (accelerating/decelerating)
• Margin anomalies (sudden expansion or compression)
• CapEx spikes or drops
• Unusual debt changes or large acquisitions on the balance sheet
• Cash flow diverging from net income
• Quarterly volatility vs smooth annual trends