Fair-value accounting bites into US energy cos
Fair-value accounting has taken bites off energy companies’ second-quarter earnings
Several US companies have reported sharp drops in profits, affected by the
high oil and gas prices on their valuations of derivatives, which were measured
at fair value on June 30.
Finance executives who recalculated the fair-value assessments a month later,
after oil prices declined, however, had a more positive story to tell and now
expect their third-quarter results to reflect that change, cfo.com
reports.
Roger Manny, chief financial officer of oil and gas company
Range Resources, at
a recent conference call with investors, revealed the company’s $US164m (?89m)
noncash accounting charge — taken when it applied fair value to its open
commodity derivatives — would have been “completely eliminated” had the company
made its calculations on July 23.
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