Earnings Report
The earnings report represents a quarterly or annual formal financial report that is compiled and published by a legal entity. This document shows the earnings, expenses, and net profit of the company. The earnings report is also referred to as ‘income statement’, ‘statement of operations’ and ‘income statement’. In principle, the earnings report gives information about the transformation of revenue into the company’s net income. ?he report encompasses the equation: revenues minus incurred expenses equals the net income of the entity. Furthermore, the report aims to demonstrate whether the company has earned profits or incurred losses during the reported time period.
Earnings reports are valuable in the assessment of past and future performance as well as the entity’s capacity to draw cash flaws. In a nut shell, the earnings report is a valuable measuring instrument of the company’s profitability. However, income statements have been recent object of criticism. Opponents claim that accounting adjustments and possible subjective estimates decrease the accuracy of the earning reports. Further, some numbers, such as depreciation expenses, depend on subjective judgments about the useful life of the assets. Some components of the report, such as employee’s loyalty to the company, may be of high relevance. However, they may be excluded from the report. Finally, the accuracy of some numbers depends on the methods employed.
All these factors have led to the coinage of the term creative accounting. This euphemism stands for keeping up with the standard accounting rules in principle rather than in practice. Furthermore, several accounting scandals have triggered a growing demand for detailed standards on companies` reporting practices. The aim is to prevent the overstatement of revenues or the understatement of expenses. Moreover, investors are advised to examine the three main financial statements of the company. This will help them gain an adequate exposal to the results of the company.
Eid ul-Fitr
According to the Islamic tradition, it was in the year 610 AD that Prophet Muhammad, while meditating in Mount Hira one night during the month of Ramadan, had a vision of the angel Jibril (also known as Gabriel) appearing before him telling his name to Muhammad and declaring to the latter that he was the messenger of God. Jibril said to him : "Iqraa" (meaning "read" or "recite"). To this Muhammad replied that he could not read.
Jibril embraced Muhammad and after releasing him repeated: "Iqraa."
"I cannot read." Muhammad answered again.
Jibril hugged Muhammad for a third time and asked him to recite what he said. He told him: "Recite in the name of your Lord Who creates. Creates man from a cloth. Recite: And your Lord is the Most Bountiful Who teaches by the pen, He teaches man what he does not know."
Though the angel informed him that he was the messenger of Allah and was going to be a prophet for his people, Muhammad was greatly disturbed at his meeting with Jibril. It is believed that he at first considered the angel as an evil spirit. It was his wife Khadijah who allayed his fears reminding him of his good conduct until then and that it was impossible for him to be visited by a demon. Even her much learned old cousin Waraqa ibn Nawfal convinced him that he was indeed a messenger of God and the angel who visited Muhammad was the one who had also visited the Hebrew prophet Moses. Muhammad was of forty years of age at this time.
In the following twenty-three years, Muhammad was visited many times by Jibril who taught him the holy knowledge in verses. This sacred knowledge consists of the code of conduct that Allah wants his people to maintain on earth. It is inscribed in verses which are compiled in the holy Qur'an, the most sacred book in Islam.
It is said that the sacred knowledge was revealed to Muhammad during the month of Ramadan. As a mark of respect to Allah and to show gratitude to him for the true knowledge that he gave to the people, the prophet asked his followers (and therefore the followers of Islam) to pass the month of Ramadan in fasting, prayers and other austerities and end the month-long non-indulgence with festive celebrations. This is how Eid-Ul-Fitr was born. This three-day long celebration ends the ninth month and begins the tenth month of Shawwal with absolute happiness and contentment for the ability to sacrifice for Allah. The aim of this festival is to promote peace, strengthen the feeling of brotherhood and bring oneself back to the normal course of life after a month-long period of self-denial and religious devotion.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eid_ul-Fitr
Equity
Equity can refer to interest in assets, distributed among shareholders in a particular corporation. Alternatively, equity points to real estate equity which stands for investments made through a private equity real estate fund, collecting capital from the individual investors. In the first case, ownership equity encompasses interest on assets after the liabilities have been deducted. Simply put, this is the total assets minus all liabilities. In case that debt exceeds the amount of assets, the company has negative ownership equity.
The term can be spotted in many variations among which: net assets, net worth, liable capital, and risk capital. It should be noted that equity stands apart from book value. The book or carrying value covers only the tangible assets and excludes goodwill and intangible assets. In contrast, the ownership equity comprises of tangible and intangible assets such as share capital, retained earnings, preferred and treasury stock, brand name, and reputation, among others. If the entity is owned by shareholders, the ownership entity is referred to as the shareholders` equity. Similarly, the equity stands for the total assets minus the liabilities. The shareholders have equal shares in the company in case that they are of the same class.
Private equity real estate was established as a separate asset class during the 21 century. The last decade has witnessed considerable interest in this type of investment instrument. In general, real estate equity refers to investments made by means of private equity real estate fund or the so called collective investment scheme. The latter refers to the joint investment of money in order to access a wider scope of investment instruments. In the typical case, these investments have a life span of ten years. This time-frame covers two to three year investment periods which entail the acquisition of property. In addition, there is a holding period which comprises of management of the assets and their ultimate sale.
ETFs [Exchange-traded Funds]
Important components of the portfolio of any investor are the Exchange-traded funds (ETFs). This is true for both, the novice investors and the most sophisticated money managers. Some even use the ETFs as the only focus of their portfolios provided that they are capable of building a diversified portfolio composed of just a few ETFs. Sometimes, the exchange-traded funds just compliment the portfolios of managers. The latter rely on them for the implementation of investment strategies which may be quite sophisticated. To benefit from ETFs, investors must use and understand the tool in an appropriate manner.
The understanding of most ETFs is a straightforward task. They will resemble stock on an exchange, coming closer to mutual funds. The mutual fund tracks some underlying index and while the ETF is designed to replicate this index. A part of the investment characteristics that differ explain the structural difference between the mutual funds and the ETFs. The management style explains the rest of the differences.
The ETF is considered a passively managed fund because the design which enables the instrument to track an index. Mutual funds are generally considered to be actively managed.
An investment in the ETF or an index mutual fund is considered to be an equivalent investment, from the view point of the investor.
The index mutual funds are viewed as covering nearly all of the major indexes. ETFs also list a broad range and provide even more investment options to individuals who decide to choose them, rather than the index mutual fund.
Similarly to other types of investment companies, ETFs have a prospectus. The purchase of Creation Units by investors entitles them to a prospectus. Sometimes, even secondary market purchasers are delivered a prospectus. The ETFs that do not deliver must send a document named Product Description to the investors.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exchange-traded_fund
The earnings report represents a quarterly or annual formal financial report that is compiled and published by a legal entity. This document shows the earnings, expenses, and net profit of the company. The earnings report is also referred to as ‘income statement’, ‘statement of operations’ and ‘income statement’. In principle, the earnings report gives information about the transformation of revenue into the company’s net income. ?he report encompasses the equation: revenues minus incurred expenses equals the net income of the entity. Furthermore, the report aims to demonstrate whether the company has earned profits or incurred losses during the reported time period.
Earnings reports are valuable in the assessment of past and future performance as well as the entity’s capacity to draw cash flaws. In a nut shell, the earnings report is a valuable measuring instrument of the company’s profitability. However, income statements have been recent object of criticism. Opponents claim that accounting adjustments and possible subjective estimates decrease the accuracy of the earning reports. Further, some numbers, such as depreciation expenses, depend on subjective judgments about the useful life of the assets. Some components of the report, such as employee’s loyalty to the company, may be of high relevance. However, they may be excluded from the report. Finally, the accuracy of some numbers depends on the methods employed.
All these factors have led to the coinage of the term creative accounting. This euphemism stands for keeping up with the standard accounting rules in principle rather than in practice. Furthermore, several accounting scandals have triggered a growing demand for detailed standards on companies` reporting practices. The aim is to prevent the overstatement of revenues or the understatement of expenses. Moreover, investors are advised to examine the three main financial statements of the company. This will help them gain an adequate exposal to the results of the company.
Eid ul-Fitr
According to the Islamic tradition, it was in the year 610 AD that Prophet Muhammad, while meditating in Mount Hira one night during the month of Ramadan, had a vision of the angel Jibril (also known as Gabriel) appearing before him telling his name to Muhammad and declaring to the latter that he was the messenger of God. Jibril said to him : "Iqraa" (meaning "read" or "recite"). To this Muhammad replied that he could not read.
Jibril embraced Muhammad and after releasing him repeated: "Iqraa."
"I cannot read." Muhammad answered again.
Jibril hugged Muhammad for a third time and asked him to recite what he said. He told him: "Recite in the name of your Lord Who creates. Creates man from a cloth. Recite: And your Lord is the Most Bountiful Who teaches by the pen, He teaches man what he does not know."
Though the angel informed him that he was the messenger of Allah and was going to be a prophet for his people, Muhammad was greatly disturbed at his meeting with Jibril. It is believed that he at first considered the angel as an evil spirit. It was his wife Khadijah who allayed his fears reminding him of his good conduct until then and that it was impossible for him to be visited by a demon. Even her much learned old cousin Waraqa ibn Nawfal convinced him that he was indeed a messenger of God and the angel who visited Muhammad was the one who had also visited the Hebrew prophet Moses. Muhammad was of forty years of age at this time.
In the following twenty-three years, Muhammad was visited many times by Jibril who taught him the holy knowledge in verses. This sacred knowledge consists of the code of conduct that Allah wants his people to maintain on earth. It is inscribed in verses which are compiled in the holy Qur'an, the most sacred book in Islam.
It is said that the sacred knowledge was revealed to Muhammad during the month of Ramadan. As a mark of respect to Allah and to show gratitude to him for the true knowledge that he gave to the people, the prophet asked his followers (and therefore the followers of Islam) to pass the month of Ramadan in fasting, prayers and other austerities and end the month-long non-indulgence with festive celebrations. This is how Eid-Ul-Fitr was born. This three-day long celebration ends the ninth month and begins the tenth month of Shawwal with absolute happiness and contentment for the ability to sacrifice for Allah. The aim of this festival is to promote peace, strengthen the feeling of brotherhood and bring oneself back to the normal course of life after a month-long period of self-denial and religious devotion.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eid_ul-Fitr
Equity
Equity can refer to interest in assets, distributed among shareholders in a particular corporation. Alternatively, equity points to real estate equity which stands for investments made through a private equity real estate fund, collecting capital from the individual investors. In the first case, ownership equity encompasses interest on assets after the liabilities have been deducted. Simply put, this is the total assets minus all liabilities. In case that debt exceeds the amount of assets, the company has negative ownership equity.
The term can be spotted in many variations among which: net assets, net worth, liable capital, and risk capital. It should be noted that equity stands apart from book value. The book or carrying value covers only the tangible assets and excludes goodwill and intangible assets. In contrast, the ownership equity comprises of tangible and intangible assets such as share capital, retained earnings, preferred and treasury stock, brand name, and reputation, among others. If the entity is owned by shareholders, the ownership entity is referred to as the shareholders` equity. Similarly, the equity stands for the total assets minus the liabilities. The shareholders have equal shares in the company in case that they are of the same class.
Private equity real estate was established as a separate asset class during the 21 century. The last decade has witnessed considerable interest in this type of investment instrument. In general, real estate equity refers to investments made by means of private equity real estate fund or the so called collective investment scheme. The latter refers to the joint investment of money in order to access a wider scope of investment instruments. In the typical case, these investments have a life span of ten years. This time-frame covers two to three year investment periods which entail the acquisition of property. In addition, there is a holding period which comprises of management of the assets and their ultimate sale.
ETFs [Exchange-traded Funds]
Important components of the portfolio of any investor are the Exchange-traded funds (ETFs). This is true for both, the novice investors and the most sophisticated money managers. Some even use the ETFs as the only focus of their portfolios provided that they are capable of building a diversified portfolio composed of just a few ETFs. Sometimes, the exchange-traded funds just compliment the portfolios of managers. The latter rely on them for the implementation of investment strategies which may be quite sophisticated. To benefit from ETFs, investors must use and understand the tool in an appropriate manner.
The understanding of most ETFs is a straightforward task. They will resemble stock on an exchange, coming closer to mutual funds. The mutual fund tracks some underlying index and while the ETF is designed to replicate this index. A part of the investment characteristics that differ explain the structural difference between the mutual funds and the ETFs. The management style explains the rest of the differences.
The ETF is considered a passively managed fund because the design which enables the instrument to track an index. Mutual funds are generally considered to be actively managed.
An investment in the ETF or an index mutual fund is considered to be an equivalent investment, from the view point of the investor.
The index mutual funds are viewed as covering nearly all of the major indexes. ETFs also list a broad range and provide even more investment options to individuals who decide to choose them, rather than the index mutual fund.
Similarly to other types of investment companies, ETFs have a prospectus. The purchase of Creation Units by investors entitles them to a prospectus. Sometimes, even secondary market purchasers are delivered a prospectus. The ETFs that do not deliver must send a document named Product Description to the investors.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exchange-traded_fund