statement of earnings noun [C]. âº ACCOUNTING, FINANCE an âofficial âdocument that is âpart of a company's âfinancial âresults and gives details of its âprofit or âloss for a particular âperiod: During the âboom âyears, âcompanies put out exaggerated âstatements of âearnings.
Lagging indicators report on data that comes from past activity. The difference between leading and lagging indicators is the latter can indicate whether the nationâs economy is actually growing or contracting. A few examples of leading indicators may be bond yields or housing starts. Bonds are typically safe investments with little inherent risk.
We must emphasise, however, that we donât suggest that lagging and leading indicators should no longer be used. The table below describes the differences between the 3 types of indicators, how they can supplement each other and their positives and negatives.