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Mandatory settlement is the process of settlement wherein cash options or futures contracts that are still open at expiry are closed out by mandatory cash settlement
An earnings announcement is a public statement of a company’s earnings, usually done on a periodic basis. These official announcements are released quarterly or yearly to inform the investors and the market about a company’s financial performance. Companies announce their financial reports through press releases on their websites and list them on the stock exchanges website. After the information is released through a conference call, there is a question-and-answer round with the senior management in which analysts, media, and investors can participate. On the basis of the report, analysts then incorporate earning measures such as EPS (Earning Per Share). These reports help investors in making sound investment decisions. Earnings results are announced during the earnings season on a date chosen by the company. Stock prices of the companies take a swing before and after the company releases its earnings report. Equity analysts also predict earnings estimates through their analysis which drives stock prices movement due to speculations. Stock prices even move after the earning results are declared, up or down, depending on how the results have turned out. Source: Copyright © 2021 Kalkine Media Pty Ltd. When are earning announcements made? It is mandatory for every listed company to report its quarterly financial results in the US but not in Australia. In Australia, companies release their financial report on a semi-annual basis. Having said that, many Australian companies also update their shareholders quarterly, but these are not considered official earnings. These quarterly reports are released to satisfy the market demand for information and to disclose the company’s guidance on its performance. The financial calendar varies from country to country and therefore, the earnings season changes as well. In the US, the earnings season starts after the final month of the financial quarter. Usually, American companies start posting their earnings reports in January, April, July, and October. In Australia, companies report twice a year, usually around February and August, or May and October. It depends upon the company’s financial cycle. However, whether quarterly in the US or semi-annually in Australia, these earnings results are required as agreed while listing the company with the stock exchanges. Source: Copyright © 2021 Kalkine Media Pty Ltd. Why are earnings announcements necessary? Financial results help investors, media, and other stakeholders of the company to have a greater understanding of the company’s financial footing. Companies not just provide sales, operating profit, net profits, but also offer guidance and outlook for coming months. Additionally, these reports also have senior management statements directed at the market. Therefore, earning announcements act as an informative document for the investors and analysts to study and gauge a company’s performance. Analysts can provide earnings estimates, and investors can then take wise investment decisions. These documents are also vital for companies when it comes to seeking funding for the business. Financial institutions can also judge a company’s financial health by evaluating earnings reports. The management offers insights on growth drivers, risk factors, etc that impacted the earnings during that particular period. Analysts also assess the earnings results, taking into account the external factors that drove the growth or impacted the firm negatively. These factors could be mergers and acquisitions, bankruptcies, economic discrepancies, policy changes, etc. For investors, earnings reports are essential because these announcements swing the price up or down. Traders keep a keen eye on these reports as it can be a time when they can confirm positions. However, some investors also avoid earnings seasons because of the involvement of various human factors.
National Securities Clearing Corporation (NSCC) was established in 1976 as a subsidiary of Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC). The Corporation performs clearance, settlement, risk managing, central counterparty services and a guarantee of accomplishment for specified transactions in the financial industry.
Fail in trading term means if the buyer does not pay owed value or the seller does not deliver securities by settlement date.
What is a Balance Sheet? A balance sheet is a financial statement of an enterprise. It is one of the three primary financial statements used in analysing a business or modelling forecast for a business. Other two include the income statement and cash flow statement. It shows the financial positions of business in a given period and includes critical information like the value of assets, liabilities, cash and shareholders’ equity. In this way, a balance sheet enables the information seeker to evaluate the net worth of an enterprise. Good read: Evaluating Financial Statements The balance sheet is a source of information for a number of stakeholders, including investors, creditors, bankers. It helps stakeholders to make efficient decisions and provide transparency. Enterprises are primarily judged on the financial position, which is based on the income statement, balance sheet and cash flow statement. The balance sheet is also referred to as Statement of Financial Position and is applied, along with other financial information, in deriving financial ratios, financial modelling, stress testing, credit appraisal, credit rating etc. It reflects the position of an enterprise during a given period, which could be quarterly, semi-annual, and annual. Corporations are required to publish financial information regarding the business under different laws across jurisdictions. Why does the balance sheet balance? Balance sheet is balanced because of the double entry bookkeeping system, which necessitates the effect of transaction on two accounts. For instance, an entrepreneur starting a business with $5000 cash will increase cash (Assets) and capital (Shareholder’s Equity). The below equation is the result of double entry bookkeeping system. Assets In the assets section, balance sheet represents the value of a business which can be converted to cash and is owned by the enterprise. Assets represent the ownership of an enterprise. Companies derive assets through transactions, investments, acquisitions, internal developments etc. Assets are generally recorded at a cost which was paid at the time of transaction. But conservative accounting principle necessitates companies to record assets at current costs, and the difference between actual cost and current cost is charged to profit and loss account. The balance sheet does not include internally generated assets like Domino’s Pizza Logo, McDonald’s logo that are valuable for business. However, such intangible assets are recorded in the balance sheet when an enterprise purchases intangible assets or acquire by way of business combinations. Companies are required to report assets less than costs at times like anticipated losses from a receivable are charged to the income statement, and receivable are reduced by same amount in the balance sheet. Depreciation and amortisation is the process charging expenses of long-term assets to the income statement and reducing the same amount from the balance sheet value of long term assets. There are two types of assets: current assets and non-current assets Current Assets: Current assets are those assets that could be realised in cash in one year. These assets include cash, cash equivalents, inventory, trade receivables, financial assets, prepaid assets, financial assets etc. Current assets also indicate the expected amount of cash a business can potentially convert over one year period. It also includes assets held for sale purpose. Current Assets are used to calculate working capital and other financial ratios. Non-current Assets: Non-current assets are those assets that would not be converted into cash easily. These are long term assets of the business and expected to generate long term benefits for the business. Non-current assets include property, plant, machinery, lease assets, intangible assets, financial assets, deferred tax assets, investments, advance, long-term receivables etc. Liabilities Liabilities represent the obligations of an enterprise. It can be the source of assets and also represent a claim on assets of an enterprise. A liability is recorded as a result of past event or transaction, and settlement of liability is expected to result in an outflow of funds, resource or economic benefits. There are three types of current liabilities: current liabilities, non-current liabilities and contingent liabilities. Current liabilities: Current liabilities are short term commitments of an enterprise that are needed to be settled within one year. It reflects the amount of funds that would be required by an enterprise to pay-off its short-term obligations. Current liabilities include trade payables, borrowing, current tax payable, lease liabilities, financial liabilities, provisions, accrued expenses. Information seekers use current liabilities to evaluate the liquidity of an enterprise and various other ratios. Non-current liabilities: Non-current liabilities are also known as long term liabilities of an enterprise because these are due after one year. A company with a loan maturing in ten years’ time will be required to report principal amount under non-current liabilities. Non-current liabilities include long-term borrowings/debt, deferred tax liabilities, lease liabilities, financial liabilities, provisions, capital leases, etc. Contingent liabilities: Contingent liabilities are the obligations of a firm that could become due to the outcome of a future event. Moreover, these are potential obligations of a firm. A common example of contingent liabilities could be litigation against the company, which may force it to pay money upon judgement. Shareholder’s Equity It is the amount of capital the owners or shareholders of an enterprise have provided to the business. Shareholder’s equity also includes the amount of cash generated by the business after repaying all necessary obligations in a given period. Shareholder equity includes equity share capital, preferred share capital, paid-up capital, retained earnings, accumulated losses. Negative shareholder equity would mean that the liabilities of the company exceed assets of the company. A positive shareholder’s equity indicates that the company has surplus assets over liabilities.