Explain the difference between horizontal analysis and vertical analysis of a company's financial statements.

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Horizontal analysis means examining individual items from the financial statements over a period of time; it is also called trend analysis. For example, calculating the percentage change in sales over the past four years would be a form of horizontal analysis. Vertical analysis is conducted within the financial statements for a single period. For example, the amounts of cost of goods sold, gross margin, operating income, and net income for the current year might all be compared to the amount of sales revenue for that year.

Business

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