Fiscal conservatism

It is the excess of the purchase price over the fair value of all the tangible assets acquired, arrived at by carefully ascertaining the value of such assets—at least in theory. The analyst must be alert to the makeup and the method of valuation of Goodwill as well as to the method of its ultimate disposition. One way of disposing of the Goodwill account, frequently preferred by management, is to write it off at a time when it would have the least impact on the market's assessment of the…

At the beginning of the period, the price of Computers, Inc. divided by the industry index was 0.39; by the end of the period, the ratio had increased to 0.50. As the ratio increased over the period, it appears that Computers, Inc. outperformed other firms in its industry. The overall trend, therefore, indicates relative strength, although some fluctuation existed during the period, with the ratio falling to a low point of 0.33 on day 19. 18. Five day moving averages: Days 1 – 5: (19.63 + 20 +…