For our readers who are new to XBRL or who want an update on the type of detailed data that you can download directly from public company reports into an Excel spreadsheet, here’s a quick overview on the SEC’s changing reporting requirements. See how the new disclosures give investors more computer-friendly information than has ever been available. Read the rest of this entry »
A new quarterly magazine focused on the accelerating adoption of XBRL as the global format for financial reporting is now available both in print and online. The premier issue includes articles, opinions, and examples from industry leaders, with updates on developments around the world. You can preview the first issue of XBRLglobal here. Qualified industry professionals from these sectors can sign up for a complimentary subscription. XBRLglobal will publish academic papers on XBRL, business reporting technologies, and open standards. Read the rest of this entry »
Our quiz this month is in keeping with our story about long, global economic cycles a measure devised by economist William D. Nordhaus.
Check your answer!
Imagine if potential buyers of the infamous Goldman Sachs offering could have been able to download the details and value of each individual asset in the offering, regardless of how each original mortgage had been sliced and re-packaged. Such radical transparency is possible, with new reporting requirements and the use of interactive data. We are delighted to see the SEC’s movement in that direction, even if they have not yet specified XBRL as the data format for achieving this goal. Learn more about the SEC’s proposed rule changes and download the free white paper explaining how it is possible to have loan-level details for every mortgage-backed security, from cradle to grave, in an automated form that is easy to manipulate so that investors can value the actual cash flows of these investments. Read the rest of this entry »
Now that XBRL is the mandated data standard for business reporting, the race is on for software development that leverages financial information. We compare it to the changes in the music world that have taken place since the MP3 standard was set. So to help encourage the market, XBRL US Labs has initiated a research and development effort to bring XBRL apps to Apple’s popular iPhones and new iPads. Read the rest of this entry »
While economists debate the speed and depth of recovery from the worst economic recession in seventy years, contrarian Gregg Easterbrook predicts a worldwide economic boom, and soon. His latest book is based on the premise that “when some crisis interrupts a larger trend, when that crisis fades, the larger trend continues.” But it’s not all good news. The global forces that will affect our daily lives will make a lot of us crazy and make us less secure, he says. Read the rest of this entry »
Although the XBRL financial reports prepared by EDGAR Online continue to sail through their SEC reviews and approvals, not every submission goes smoothly. As a result, the XBRL U.S. has launched a set of online XBRL tools intended to help public companies spot inconsistencies related to the use of the XBRL U.S. GAAP Taxonomy in their XBRL documents. Read the rest of this entry »
Who were the top two top hedge fund managers to do well in 2009, a down year, and approximately what were their record payoffs?
Check your answers.
In the same way food packages carry standard nutrition information, and credit card statements must now clearly show the total cost of interest charges over time, mutual funds will soon be required to provide basic information, in plain English, to help the average investor evaluate and select mutual funds. Read the rest of this entry »
Annual reports for most companies are due in March. Any company that sells securities to U.S. investors must report to the SEC on their business, their people, their successes and failures. But knowing exactly what kind of information is available to the investing public, where to find it inside the 10-K, and how to use it — that’s another story. Read the rest of this entry »
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