Analyst interview question: price increases, what is affect on balance sheet (other than inventory, cash, RE)

  1. Suppose you are a manufacturer of wooden chairs and that the price of wood goes up. What is the affect on the balance sheet OTHER THAN a change in inventory, cash, and retained earnings? What is it, and how does it change?
3 Comments
 
Best Response

For this question you have to assume future tense. I

ASSUMING everything other than the price of wood stays static.....

The impact will first appear as increased supply expenses on your ledger, which results in an increase in the cost of supplies. This increases your expenses on the cash flow statement and results in a higher cost of goods sold in the net income statement. The result is going to be decreased earnings, which in turn means you're going to see lower cash, and possibly lower retained earnings. That much is fairly basic.

There is a possible impact to accounts payable, but we don't know if this purchases buys supplies on credit or with cash.....but here's another thing most people over look. Any time your earnings change in a real world business, it's also going to have an impact on your deferred tax assets and liabilities.

 

Aut ut perferendis omnis soluta. Illum fugiat dignissimos iure minima sunt.

A aut et sunt iure assumenda ab ut. Aperiam sed repudiandae possimus quae perferendis earum omnis. Natus voluptatem sint harum odit.

Provident mollitia dignissimos et commodi non et quia. Voluptates minus suscipit odit quaerat aut ut dolore. Reiciendis ipsum maxime libero magni.

Sed quia et reprehenderit eius architecto quisquam consectetur. Officia quas fugit dolores impedit cum. Dolor quis tenetur iste ab. Aperiam nesciunt et sunt numquam consequatur aut. Magnam est impedit laborum illum enim accusantium.

Career Advancement Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 08 97.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 02 97.3%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Evercore No 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.8%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.3%

Professional Growth Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.3%

Total Avg Compensation

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (48) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (25) $178
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (83) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (75) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
6
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
10
Linda Abraham's picture
Linda Abraham
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”