- balance sheet
- an important business document that shows what a business owns and owes as of the date shown. Essentially a " balance sheet" is a list of business assets and their cost on one side and a list of liabilities and owners' equity (investment in the business) on the other side with the amount for each. The liabilities include all that the business owes. Glossary of Business Terms————Also called the statement of financial condition, it is a summary of a company's assets, liabilities ( liability), and owners' equity. Bloomberg Financial Dictionary————A statement of a company's financial position at a given point in time. It details the assets of the company and how these assets are being financed. Financing is broken down into two major categories, namely shareholders' funds and liabilities. Due to the way in which the balance sheet is prepared, total assets always equals total finance, i.e. the balance sheet will balance. Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein financial glossary————The balance sheet forms part of a company's annual report and accounts. It is a summary of the company's assets, liabilities and shareholders funds. Financial Services Glossary————One of the main components of a company's financial statements, the balance sheet provides an overview of the company's assets (what it owns) and liabilities (what it owes) at the end of a financial year. London Stock Exchange Glossary
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a document showing a company's financial position and wealth at a particular time, often the last day of its financial year:• The company performed well last year, and has a healthy balance sheet with a good amount of cash.
• a strong balance sheet
• a clean balance sheet (= without debt or without too much debt )
off-balance sheet items, activities, debts etc are ones that a company does not need to show on its balance sheet, but in notes added to it:• The leasing company said a Chinese airline has signed for an aircraft operating lease - a relatively short-term, off-balance sheet rental.
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An accounting statement of a company's assets and liabilities, provided for the benefit of shareholders and regulators. It gives a snapshot, at a specific point of time, of the assets that the company holds and how the assets have been financed.► See also Assets, Liabilities.* * *
balance sheet UK US noun [C]► ACCOUNTING a financial statement that shows a company's assets and debts at a particular time: healthy/strong/weak balance sheet »He points out that the company has the strongest balance sheet among all the farm-machinery giants.
Financial and business terms. 2012.
