Riverstone Training

Financial figures are only half the truth when considering investing in a company or making a merger, acquisition or analyzing the performance of the company internally. Spreadsheets, earnings reports and ratios are admittedly important but they do not tell the whole story of what is happening between the numbers. It is then that the qualitative aspects of company analysis in finance come to play. These are other components that affect the present and the future of a business which are non- numerical but are equally powerful. Qualitative analysis is the overview of such aspects as leadership performance, company culture, brand reputation, competitive advantages, company strategic direction. Such considerations are able to have a considerable influence on the long-term performance of a company and, often, even on the balance sheet. Qualitative factors are important in providing an analyst, investor and any decision maker with a balanced view of how a business is performing. Qualitative...

In the age of the digital world, data is a greater and greater impetus of industries and nowhere is it all the more so in the world of finance. Machine learning has proved to be one of the most important technologies to change the game as the financial institutions continue to reinvent themselves by becoming smarter, faster, and more efficient. However, what is machine learning, and more to the point, what applications of machine learning exist in finance? It is a subdivision of artificial intelligence (AI) which enables computers to learn without being previously programmed to do everything and thus, to become more competent in doing it as the data is processed. Grandiosely speaking, putting things simply, it is how machines can spot trends, foretell and even robotize the most sophisticated decision-making. Machine learning has found applications in finance in many different fields: fraud detection and credit risk scoring, algorithmic trading and portfolio management. What Is Artifici...

In the field of business and finances, it is like they say, cash is king- one of the most important measurements that determine the cash flow is Days Sales Outstanding (DSO) . So long as you are taking care of a startup, running an expanding SME, or assessing the corporate finances, learning about the nature of the day's sales outstanding, and its role in a company can be of value to the decision-making process and financial capabilities. DSO is a financial ratio that reflects the speed at which a corporation takes payment of its clients following the sales made. Simply put, it also measures the number of days an average business takes to accumulate cash as a result of credit sales. Lower DSO means that the collections are efficient and the cash flow is relatively healthy and the high DSO can mean that the collection of the accounts receivables is not coming along, or that things are too easy-going as far as credit policy is concerned. Understanding Days Sales Outstanding in Accoun...