New accounting standards trigger profit swings
A survey by investment bank UBS indicates that the profits at Europe's largest companies have swung by at least 12% under IFRS.
IFRS has caused profit swings of about 12% at Europe’s largest companies, according to research by investment bank UBS.
Link: Profits take off at Rolls-Royce under IFRS
The analysis quantifies the significant changes to the key indicators of corporate performance brought about by the new standards.
The survey of 27 companies that have restated their 2004 earnings showed that some have enjoyed a substantial boost to profits, while other have had their earnings cut, the The Financial Times reports.
According to the report, Britain’s Imperial Chemical Industries was the largest beneficiary, with a 93% increase in earnings to £474m, while Telecom Italia suffered the biggest hit to earnings, which fell 22%.
UBS excluded the impact of the scrapping of goodwill amortisation in its calculations, as the markets have always ignored this non-cash charge.
