Acc4284-Emerging Issues In Accounting Assessment Answer

Assignment Breif

This assignment brief of your individual coursework is based on article by Forbes, title  of “New Accounting Rules Limit Transparency and Harm Investors”, dated 21 August 2019.

Effective November 18, 2018, the SEC adopted amendments to disclosure requirements that “have become redundant, duplicative, overlapping, outdated, or superseded, in light of other Commission disclosure requirements, U.S GAAP, or changes in the information environment.” 

In following the amendment by the SEC, effective for all public entities for fiscal years beginning December 15, 2018, FASB’s ASU 2017-12 amended the hedge accounting recognition and presentation requirements. The stated goals of this change were to “provide users with a more complete picture of the effect of hedge accounting on an entity’s income statement and balance sheet” and to “ease the operational burden of applying hedge accounting by allowing more time to prepare hedge documentation.”

With the SEC’s Disclosure Update and Simplification (Release No. 33-10532; 34-83875; IC 33206; File No. S7-15-16) and FASB’s Accounting Standards Update (ASU) 2017-12, it appears to prioritize reducing reporting entities’ burdens over providing investors with valuable disclosures. However, these regulators reduce the disclosure requirements for companies will make it more difficult for investors to analyze the true financial health of publicly traded companies. Investors unaware of these changes are in the Danger Zone. 

Critically examine the impact of reduction in disclosure regulations on capital market efficiency. Next, discuss whether initiatives by the regulatory bodies in lessening the impact of the regulation changes are contradicting with the objectives of the SEC and the FASB in their decision of reducing the disclosure requirements. To end your discussion, state your stand in whether the reduction in disclosure requirement may harm the investors or not.

Other Specific Instructions for this Assignment

1.In formulating your argument, consider the following: 

a.You should critically examine the impact on the capital market after the announcement of the SEC and FASB to reduce the disclosure requirements. 

b.You should list the initiatives by the regulatory bodies and critically evaluate the efforts they have done in lessening the impact of the regulation changes. 

c.You should critically compare whether the initiatives listed above are contradicting with the objectives of the SEC and FASB in reducing the disclosure requirements. 

d.You should state your opinion in summarizing whether the reduction in disclosure requirement may harm the investors.