According to the New York Times, with more companies offering cryptocurrency loans and high-yield deposit accounts Washington is worried about how this might disrupt the banking industry with a lack of regulations. Questions: Which company was mentioned in the article as aspiring to be the J.P. Morgan Chase of cryptocurrency? What crypto platform temporarily lost… Read more »
Posts Categorized: Financial Reporting and Analysis
Earnings Numbers Useless?
In a recent article in Accounting Today, Baruch Lev discusses the poor quality and low relevance of corporate financial statements due to “a sad state of accounting standards.” Questions: Briefly list the three suggestions presented by Baruch Lev meaningful new agendas for accounting regulators. What examples does Professor Lev present as supporting the U.S. accounting… Read more »
Facebook’s Victory
According to Reuters, Facebook hits $1 trillion value after the judge rejects antitrust complaints. Questions: Federal and state antitrust complaints sought to have Facebook sell what apps? Where did the judge find flaws in the arguments? What was the bright spot for the FTC in the case? Source: Bartz, D. and E. Culliford. (2021). Facebook… Read more »
Big Shakeup!
The Securities and Exchange Commission abruptly removed William Duhnke as chairman of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board. Questions: According to the new chair, what does this firing report to do? Why has the PCAOB come under recent scrutiny? How long has Duhnke been chair? According to the article, why shouldn’t PCAOB members be replaced… Read more »
Debt Disclosure Problems
According to the New York Times, Greensill Capital promised a win-win for buyers and sellers, until it all fell apart, igniting concerns about opaque accounting practices. Questions: How much was Greensill valued at less than 2 years ago? Explain how Greensill’s problems extend to the U.S. Explain Mr. Greensill’s position in the firm as the… Read more »
Account Takeovers Increase in the Finance Industry
According to statistics of events detected by Kaspersky Fraud Prevention, the share of account takeovers in the finance industry have increased from 34% in 2019 to 54% in 2020. Questions: What are the two most common schemes to get access to a bank account? How often are legitimate remote administration tools misused to gain access… Read more »
Not a Very Magical Kingdom
According to the Washington Post, COVID-19 continued to hammer Disney in the final months of 2020, with the company’s revenue dropping 22 percent over the holiday period and a much smaller profit than usual. Questions Was the revenue better or worse for October to December 2021 than analysts predicted and by how much? What was Disney’s… Read more »
Tesla Invests in BitCoin
According to the Washington Post and an SEC report, Tesla has invested $1.5 billion in bitcoin and plans to start accepting the cryptocurrency as payment in the near future. Questions: As a result of Tesla’s announcement, what happened to the price of bitcoins? Alternatively, did Tesla show as much movement? How does the price of… Read more »
Are You Paying Hidden Covid Fees?
According to the Washington Post, businesses across the country may be charging you undisclosed COVID fees. Questions: Consumers in how many states have filed complaints with state attorneys general offices regarding undisclosed COVID-related surcharges? What are these surcharges typically for? What types of businesses are the worst offenders? What measures are health insurance providers taking… Read more »
Investigation into the Appearance of Wrongdoing
A finding that Leon Black, the billionaire boss of Apollo Global Management, paid the convicted sex offender $150 million. This touched off an attempt to remove him. Questions: What is Apollo Global Management? Who tried to unseat Leon Black as CEO? What act of contrition does Black plan for his role in giving money to… Read more »