In: Accounting
What guidance does APB No. 18, “The Equity Method of Accounting
for Investments in Common Stock,” provide for equity method
investment losses in market value?
Under the equity method, an investor recognizes its share of the
earnings or losses of an investee in the periods for which they are
reported by the investee in its financial statements rather than in
the period in which an investee declares a dividend. An investor
adjusts the carrying amount of an investment for its share of the
earnings or losses of the investee subsequent to the date of
investment and reports the recognized earnings or losses in income.
Dividends received from an investee reduce the carrying amount of
the investment. Thus, the equity method is an appropriate means of
recognizing increases or decreases measured by generally accepted
accounting principles in the economic resources underlying the
investments. Furthermore, the equity method of accounting more
closely meets the objectives of accrual accounting than does the
cost method since the investor recognizes its share of the earnings
and losses of the investee in the periods in which they are
reflected in the accounts of the
investee.