Company report interpretation advice please

[RMB299]

Can anyone shed any light on this for me please:

When reading company reports if a figure is in brackets it usually means a negaive figure i.e. a loss.

So for pre tax profits:

1000 = 1000 profit
(1000) = 1000 loss

BUT

When we are talking about debt/borrowings if the figure is in brackets does this mean it is a net cash position?

So if the report reads .........

Borrowings - (1000)

Does this mean 1000 of borrowings or is it 1000 cash due to the brackets?

Many thanks

P.S. If someone could clarify to me which is the correct net debt/cash figure from the SSP annual report released today I would be very grateful.

 

[anley]

There's a book called something like 'How to read company financial accounts'. Get that it should help.

 

[leonarda]

Can anyone shed any light on this for me please:

When reading company reports if a figure is in brackets it usually means a negaive figure i.e. a loss.

So for pre tax profits:

1000 = 1000 profit
(1000) = 1000 loss

BUT

When we are talking about debt/borrowings if the figure is in brackets does this mean it is a net cash position?

So if the report reads .........

Borrowings - (1000)

Does this mean 1000 of borrowings or is it 1000 cash due to the brackets?

Many thanks

P.S. If someone could clarify to me which is the correct net debt/cash figure from the SSP annual report released today I would be very grateful.

I've not seen a quoted negative net-debt before, what I usually see is they specifically quote net-cash instead to avoid ambiguity, but it's quite possible some companies don't.

 

[scose-no-doubt]

Borrowings is a loan > liability and should only be expressed in brackets on a balance sheet if other liabilities are expressed as negative values. If not then there may have been some sort of write back for over-provision in previous years.
That's the best I can do with the limited info.

 

[tafita]

Sodding fundamentals. It's bullsh1t to me.