Q. Explain horizontal analyses and using the financial results?
The computation of dollar and or percentage changes from one year to the next in an item on financial statements is horizontal analysis. For example in the following data taken from the 2000 annual report of Hewlett-Packard Company the amount of inventory improved by USD 836 million from 1999 October 31 to 2000 October 31. This amount symbolized a 17 per cent increase. To find the amount of the decrease or increase subtract the 1999 amount from the 2000 amount. To find the percentage varies divides the increase or decrease by the 1999 amount. Deliberate the dollar amount and percentage of change in an amount is much more meaningful than merely knowing the amount at one point in time. By examine the data we can see that cash and cash equivalents declined in 2000. Their refuse at least partially explains the increases in some of the other current assets. We can as well see that the company invested in property plant and equipment. Some terms in Hewlett-Packard's list of assets that you don't understand are explained in later chapters. Now all we want you to understand is the nature of horizontal and vertical analyses.