Shipping companies are experiencing difficult financial times with many unable to repay or service debts. It is essential for companies to have properly documented and timely financial information, including financial models projecting future cash flows, to present to banks in the event of potential defaults. Financial modelling can help identify ways to manage volatility and support restructuring proposals. Experienced external advisors like Moore Stephens can help companies reduce costs associated with resolving financial problems by working with stakeholders before and after bank intervention.
HCLT Whitepaper: Insurance~ The market will contract not collapseHCL Technologies
The insurance market will surely contract, but it will not collapse. Consumers and companies will still require risk management - albeit, the number of buyers are fewer. Some of the now marginal mid-tier and small carriers may be acquired, or simply fail. Prices will flatten, and rate increases will be needed to raise capital, but the size will be restrained by the contracting economy. However, most insurance industry leaders think that we will be in that contraction through the first half of 2010. With that return to expansion, the industry will still be confronted with the challenges/ opportunities discussed in my last two missives - expanded demand for more sophisticated products and
the need for time-to-market agility while managing losses and expenses.
Did you know that 45,000 businesses in the United States fail each month? And that 44 percent of small businesses used credit cards as a source of financing in 2008, compared to 16 percent in 1993, according to the Small Business Administration? Learn how to take a proactive approach to managing your debt and creating cash flow with out borrowing money. Join the National Restaurant Association, Nation's Restaurant News and SettleSource, Inc. for this free one-hour event. Learn more at http://bit.ly/dqfzkI .
Ask yourself these questions . . .
1. Are your bank covenants trending up or
down?
2. Are you paying more cash out weekly than you receive?
3. Does your family really agree with your
business plans?
4. Why are you taking this test?
These and the following questions are a self
diagnosis test of your business health. Take the test in the privacy of your own office and see how you rate on these critical risk factors.
HCLT Whitepaper: Insurance~ The market will contract not collapseHCL Technologies
The insurance market will surely contract, but it will not collapse. Consumers and companies will still require risk management - albeit, the number of buyers are fewer. Some of the now marginal mid-tier and small carriers may be acquired, or simply fail. Prices will flatten, and rate increases will be needed to raise capital, but the size will be restrained by the contracting economy. However, most insurance industry leaders think that we will be in that contraction through the first half of 2010. With that return to expansion, the industry will still be confronted with the challenges/ opportunities discussed in my last two missives - expanded demand for more sophisticated products and
the need for time-to-market agility while managing losses and expenses.
Did you know that 45,000 businesses in the United States fail each month? And that 44 percent of small businesses used credit cards as a source of financing in 2008, compared to 16 percent in 1993, according to the Small Business Administration? Learn how to take a proactive approach to managing your debt and creating cash flow with out borrowing money. Join the National Restaurant Association, Nation's Restaurant News and SettleSource, Inc. for this free one-hour event. Learn more at http://bit.ly/dqfzkI .
Ask yourself these questions . . .
1. Are your bank covenants trending up or
down?
2. Are you paying more cash out weekly than you receive?
3. Does your family really agree with your
business plans?
4. Why are you taking this test?
These and the following questions are a self
diagnosis test of your business health. Take the test in the privacy of your own office and see how you rate on these critical risk factors.
Portfolio Management Special by Private equity is already well known for its focus on cash. But when sales are down, and new finance a precious commodity,
it is essential that every last drop of working capital is squeezed from investee companies.
When smoothing over a transition period
in a successful firm, interim managers can
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portfolio company valuations plummet, bringing in an experienced head who is unafraid to make tough decisions could be the difference between financial freefall or a soft landing.
CreditRiskMonitor is designed to save you time. Created specifically for the corporate credit professional, it provides real-time financial information analysis and news on over 40,000 public companies worldwide.For supply-side professionals, CreditRiskMonitor (www.crmz.com) helps procurement directors and supply-chain managers reduce risk by monitoring the financial condition of their critical vendors. Our corporate database helps with strategic sourcing to evaluate, identify high-risk companies and continuously alert you of changes in the financial health of your vendors.
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Many businesses are currently struggling to find ways to cut costs and make ends meet, and ambitious new strategies and growth goals are being put on hold till the economy rebounds. But even in a time of uncertainty and contraction, smart companies can find opportunity and growth.
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Mercer Capital is the largest valuation and financial advisory firm in Tennessee with offices in Nashville and Memphis. Complex financial issues are a critical part of many of your client engagements. The focus of this newsletter is to provide useful content about these financial issues from the perspective of financial experts. We seek to help you assist your clients in financial and accounting matters.
Mercer Capital's Value Matters™ | Issue 2, 2020 Mercer Capital
Mercer Capital's Value Matters™, published 6 times per year, addresses gift & estate tax, ESOP, buy-sell agreement, and transaction advisory topics of interest to estate planners and other professional advisors to business.
Sindh Today Dec 1, 2008 Equities Erase Gains, Key Index Sheds 252 PointsJagannadham Thunuguntla
“There is now so much uncertainty that the only thing certain is uncertainty”, said Jagannadham Thunuguntla, director of the country's fourth largest share brokerage firm, the Delhi-based SMC Group.
The markets are, therefore, searching for direction as there are so many issues to understand - global economic slowdown, geopolitical issues as well as domestic political issues, Thunuguntla said trying to explain Monday's volatility, which saw the Sensex end up losing nearly 500 points from the intra-day high of 9,326.68 points.
Portfolio Management Special by Private equity is already well known for its focus on cash. But when sales are down, and new finance a precious commodity,
it is essential that every last drop of working capital is squeezed from investee companies.
When smoothing over a transition period
in a successful firm, interim managers can
be important. But during a recession, as
portfolio company valuations plummet, bringing in an experienced head who is unafraid to make tough decisions could be the difference between financial freefall or a soft landing.
CreditRiskMonitor is designed to save you time. Created specifically for the corporate credit professional, it provides real-time financial information analysis and news on over 40,000 public companies worldwide.For supply-side professionals, CreditRiskMonitor (www.crmz.com) helps procurement directors and supply-chain managers reduce risk by monitoring the financial condition of their critical vendors. Our corporate database helps with strategic sourcing to evaluate, identify high-risk companies and continuously alert you of changes in the financial health of your vendors.
PivotalCRM - How to profit in a downturn_usPivotal CRM
Many businesses are currently struggling to find ways to cut costs and make ends meet, and ambitious new strategies and growth goals are being put on hold till the economy rebounds. But even in a time of uncertainty and contraction, smart companies can find opportunity and growth.
Mercer Capital's Tennessee Family Law | Volume 3, No. 1, 2020 | Valuation & ...Mercer Capital
Mercer Capital is the largest valuation and financial advisory firm in Tennessee with offices in Nashville and Memphis. Complex financial issues are a critical part of many of your client engagements. The focus of this newsletter is to provide useful content about these financial issues from the perspective of financial experts. We seek to help you assist your clients in financial and accounting matters.
Mercer Capital's Value Matters™ | Issue 2, 2020 Mercer Capital
Mercer Capital's Value Matters™, published 6 times per year, addresses gift & estate tax, ESOP, buy-sell agreement, and transaction advisory topics of interest to estate planners and other professional advisors to business.
Sindh Today Dec 1, 2008 Equities Erase Gains, Key Index Sheds 252 PointsJagannadham Thunuguntla
“There is now so much uncertainty that the only thing certain is uncertainty”, said Jagannadham Thunuguntla, director of the country's fourth largest share brokerage firm, the Delhi-based SMC Group.
The markets are, therefore, searching for direction as there are so many issues to understand - global economic slowdown, geopolitical issues as well as domestic political issues, Thunuguntla said trying to explain Monday's volatility, which saw the Sensex end up losing nearly 500 points from the intra-day high of 9,326.68 points.
CashPerform has a unique offering that facilitates efficiency in the cash conversion cycle to recover cash from suppliers, customers and internal efficiences. This translates into Working Capital Optimisation
10 Steps Towards Maximizing Global Liquidityforlkc
As companies become increasingly global, the number of banking relationships tends to proliferate, resulting in cash accumulating in multiple countries and currencies. Accessing that cash for internal purposes, whether financing seasonal working capital needs, corporate overhead, debt service, dividends, share repurchase programs or financing new ventures and acquisitions, is now more important than ever. In these times of unprecedented financial uncertainty, with the likelihood that credit will be less available and more costly in the foreseeable future, harnessing internal liquidity to reduce one\'s reliance on external funding sources may provide critical to weathering successfully the continuing storm. The corporate treasurer, seeking to become a strategic partner that truly adds value by enhancing financial performance, must look beyond the obvious. Selecting the right banking partner and designing the right banking structure for one\'s company are of paramount importance, but so too are the fundamentals of good project management, such as clarifying objectives, obtaining sponsorship, anticipating cultural resistance and combating resource constraints. This paper suggests ten thought-provoking steps to move today\'s treasurer that much closer to success in optimizing global liquidity.
No time has been better to extend Treasury\'s reach within an organization to effect permanent changes in the financial supply chain. Extending Treasury\'s Reach discusses ways to improve liquidity for survival today as well as to fuel growth in the future.
2014 Life Insurance and Annuity Industry Outlook Transforming for growthDeloitte United States
It’s 2014. Is it the best of times? Is it the worst of times? Or is it both for the financial services industry?
For a view into where and how growth will emerge or solidify in 2014, the Deloitte Center for Financial Services sought insight and first-hand experience from nearly 200 of Deloitte’s financial services practitioners.
Their views yielded insight into how banks and the capital markets are repositioning for growth. How the commercial real estate market is trimming its sails for growth. How the insurance industry is transforming for growth. And, how investment management is faring on its quest for accelerated growth.
http://www.deloitte.com/view/en_US/us/Industries/Private-Equity-Hedge-Funds-Mutual-Funds-Financial-Services/center-for-financial-services/cdfdf026b94fa310VgnVCM2000003356f70aRCRD.htm
This issue contains Australian small business and consumer insight – including risk and economic forecasts, consumer credit trends, business expectations, and government and industry news.
1. Spring 2012
Shipping Note
Moore Stephens Isle of Man
PRECISE. PROVEN. PERFORMANCE.
Audit and Consulting
Shipping must adopt model guidelines
Shipping is experiencing tough times. An increasing number of
companies are unable to repay, or in some cases, even service their
debts. That could mean an uncomfortable meeting with the bank. But Inside
too many companies are not properly prepared for such an encounter.
Businesses must be able to produce Financial modelling is a key component “ Understanding the
properly documented and timely financial of any renegotiation of facilities. A viable GAAP between value
information for their stakeholders, which model, typically including integrated and net assets.”
should include a view of the future. In balance sheet, profit and loss account
Page 2
good times, when charter rates exceeded and cash flow statement, can help to
operating expenses, little attention needed support a restructuring proposal, by
“
Plus ça change on
to be paid to future cash flows and debt demonstrating the impact of changes on
service. But today, it is essential to be able future cash flow.
revenue recognition.”
to anticipate, to the extent it is possible, Page 2
future cash flows and pinch points. Financial modelling doesn’t change the
economic fundamentals of a business. “Confidence up but new
Dawn Webb, a Partner of Moore Stephens But it is a tool with which to identify investment appetite
Chartered Accountants says, “It is ways to manage the impact of a volatile wanes.”
essential to provide banks with detailed market. A good quality financial model is
Page 3
information in the event that it becomes also an invaluable, ongoing management
clear that a company may default on the tool. It can be used to make longer-term
“The devil’s dictionary.”
terms of a loan. It is better still if this can strategic decisions and to determine the
Pages 3 4
be done before any covenants are nature and structure of future investments
breached or payments missed. In these and the potential returns on investment.
difficult times, the key is for businesses to
help banks to help them, by anticipating Experienced, external advice can help
defaults or breaches and presenting a reduce the time and money spent on
solution, rather than waiting for the resolving problems. Moore Stephens has
default. This cannot be achieved without worked with companies in the shipping
a proper financial model. industry and with their stakeholders, both
prior to and following bank intervention.
“Clearly a model is not a panacea for We have concluded a number of
difficult trading conditions but working successful independent business reviews.
with a bank to present its credit Our combined corporate finance and
committee with a potential solution, shipping industry expertise could make all
rather than with a problem, is more the difference in today’s difficult market.
likely to engender a positive attitude
dawn.webb@moorestephens.co.im
to any restructuring.”
2. Moore Stephens Isle of Man
Follow us on Twitter @MSIOM
Audit and Consulting
Understanding the GAAP between
value and net assets
The difference between a company’s value and its reported net assets can be substantial. The general
rule is that companies are worth, at least, their net assets, and often substantially more. Today, that
rule is being broken frequently, in shipping as much as anywhere else.
Comparing the market capitalisation of many listed shipping
companies with their reported net assets, the equity markets
seem to have decided that a number of shipping companies are
not worth the values they have been reporting in their balance
sheets. We saw a plethora of bad news affecting shipping in
late 2011, little of which will have been reflected by companies
which reported third-quarter results, and none by companies Under IFRS, this does not apply, with the result that impairments
listed on exchanges which only require six-monthly figures to are less likely to be recorded under US GAAP than under IFRS.
be published. This raises the question of whether the values One thing is for sure. If directors are going to report net assets
reported in the balance sheet can continue to be appropriate. at substantially more than the company’s market capitalisation,
they need to be ready to explain why. While Nelson may have
It matters which accounting standards are being applied. Under seen no ships, some directors might be accused of seeing the
US GAAP, for example, one dollar of expected profit in fifteen ships, but not the problems associated with them.
years’ time is given the same weighting as a dollar of expected
andrew.dixon@moorestephens.co.im
profit tomorrow in deciding whether or not assets are impaired.
Plus ça change on revenue recognition
The project on accounting for revenue shortly after the end of the year would time basis, and profits on voyage charters
had been put back, with the next be likely to balance out. will therefore be recognised over the
documents issued being more proposals duration of the voyage.
rather than a final standard. The revised Even this minor change now seems
proposals have now been published. unlikely. The new proposals would So it looks as though accounting for
normally lead to continuation of current revenue is not likely to change very much
The original proposals would have accounting treatments, as the standard- in the next few years. Now, when it comes
changed the way in which shipping setters have reconsidered how to deal to leasing…
companies recognise income, primarily with the provision of services, such as
on voyage charters. This would often shipping services. In many cases, services
have meant recognising revenue - and will continue to be accounted for on a andrew.dixon@moorestephens.co.im
profit – as voyages completed. Despite
this, they were seen as fairly small beer
since the changes were likely to be minor.
They would have led to a slight deferral
of accumulated profit over current
practice, but would have had little impact
on the results reported for each year.
The larger the fleet, the smaller the
impact would probably have been, as
voyages completed shortly before and
3. Moore Stephens Isle of Man
Follow us on Twitter @MSIOM
Audit and Consulting
Confidence up but new
investment appetite wanes
Overall confidence levels in the shipping industry increased slightly in the three
months ended February 2012. This is the third successive quarter in which there
has been a small uptick in confidence.
According to our latest shipping confidence survey, the average increase over the coming year rose from 30% to 35%. In the dry
confidence level expressed by respondents in the markets in bulk sector, there was a 15 percentage point increase, to 38%, in
which they operate was 5.5 on a scale of 1 (low) to 10 (high), the overall number of respondents who thought that rates would
marginally up on the figure of 5.4 recorded in November 2011. rise. And in the container ship market, 31% of respondents
The overall number of respondents expecting to make a major expected rates to go up, as opposed to 23% last time.
investment or significant development over the next twelve
months fell, on a scale of 1 to 10, from 5.2 to 4.9 – the lowest Read the full survey report at
figure for three years. www.moorestephens.co.uk/shippingconfidence
Demand trends, competition and finance costs continued to Average confidence over time
dominate the top three factors cited by respondents as those
likely to influence performance most significantly over the next
year. There was an 8 percentage point drop in the number of
respondents overall who expected finance costs to increase over
the next twelve months, and a 2 percentage point increase in
the number of respondents who thought that finance costs
would come down.
Respondents across all tonnage types were more confident of
rate increases than they were three months previously. In the
andrew.dixon@moorestephens.co.im
tanker sector, the number of respondents expecting rates to
The devil’s dictionary: I is for impairment
The ninth in a series looking at classic and alternative definitions Shipowners are particularly susceptible to impairment. This may
of shipping and accountancy terms. be because they buy at the top of the market, sell at the
bottom, and operate at a loss for twelve months of the year.
Textbook definition This is called entrepreneurialism. Once shipowners have decided
Impairment is a reduction in the value of an asset as a result of that an asset is impaired, however, they can write it down.
the asset no longer generating the benefits expected earlier as This is better than simply trying to remember it. As long as it
determined by a company through periodic assessments. is written down, they can carry on using the asset. How fair
is that?
The alternative definition
If your market capitalisation falls below net assets, you are Shipping has suffered from impairment since the Battle of
impaired. This is bad luck. The other possibility is that you are Copenhagen. Here, Nelson saw no ships and always wore a hat.
lying through your teeth. But it is not the end of the world. If Some shipowners see the ships but don’t wear a hat at all. In
you are using US GAAP, you are less likely to be impaired than this way, they lose 90% of their body heat, according to their
you would be if you were using IFRS, or almost any other mums. The remaining 10% is written down.
acronym. That’s a relief.
What the eye doesn’t see, the heart doesn’t grieve over.