Net asset value
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Overview
Net asset value and other accounting and recordkeeping activities are the result of the process of
At the completion of the valuation process and once all other appropriate accounting entries are posted, the accounting books are "closed", enabling a variety of information to be calculated and produced including the net asset value per share.
Open-ended funds
Net asset value is commonly used in the context of
For example, if a fund has a NAV of $200 million and 1 million shares in issue on a certain day, the "NAV per share"—the price at which shares are issued—is $200. A person investing $40 million on that day will therefore be given 200,000 shares. Immediately following their investment the total NAV of the fund will be $240 million, as the new investor's cash becomes part of the fund and is available for investment by the fund. The investor will then be entitled to 1/6 of whatever the fund's value is when they withdraw their investment, if in the meantime their 1/6 ownership is not altered by any further withdrawals or investments to the fund.
The valuation of the assets and liabilities of an open-ended fund is therefore very important to investors. If the NAV in the above example had, with the same assets, been calculated as $160 million (and the NAV per share as $160), the investor would have been given 250,000 shares and would become entitled to 1/5 of the fund's value.
In contrast,
Mismarking
Valuation of assets in open-ended funds and hedge funds
The NAV of a
Calculation of the net asset value for a hedge fund, including the calculation of the fund's income and expense accruals and the pricing of securities at current market value, is a core
In 2003, investors in Lancer Group sued hedge fund administrator Citco for allegedly knowingly disseminating "misleading" Net Asset Value (NAV) statements.[19][20] Citco ultimately informed investors that it was resigning as administrator to Lancer's funds, but did not provide an explanation. While Citco pointed to the fact that it had sought statements from Lancer's board of directors as to the propriety of the valuations, Southern District of NY Judge Shira Scheindlin wrote: "Although these actions demonstrate Citco Group's questioning of the numbers, they could also be interpreted as Citco Group's efforts to shield its own involvement in the process".[19] Ultimately, Citco settled with investors.[19]
The case of Anwar v. Fairfield Greenwich (SDNY) is the major case relating to fund administrator liability for failure to handle its NAV-related obligations properly.[21][22] The defendants settled in 2016 by paying the Anwar plaintiffs $235 million.[21][22] The court held in the case, prior to the settlement, that "it is reasonable to infer from Plaintiffs' allegations that the Administrators were aware that Plaintiffs would—and did—rely on their statements of the Funds' NAVs that were sent to the investors.... Accordingly, the Court finds that Plaintiffs allege a relationship between the investors and the Administrators that gives rise to a duty of care ...."[23]
Businesses
Turning to operating companies as opposed to investment companies (mutual funds), in determining whether shares in a public company are a cheap or expensive investment, one tool used by investors is a comparison of the company's current market capitalization (being the price at which the market values the company) with its NAV. The NAV may be below the market price for the following reasons:
- Accounting principles and bases of presentation of amounts in financial statements differ worldwide, blurring the comparability of companies in various jurisdictions. Financial statement values are typically recorded based on their local jurisdiction's related principles of accounting, which affect all the remaining points below.
- The current value of a company's assets likely differ from the historical cost reflected in the financial statements used in NAV calculations.
- The NAV describes the company's current asset and liability position. Investors might believe that the company has significant growth prospects, in which case they would be prepared to pay more for the company than its NAV.
- Certain assets, such as goodwill (which broadly represents a company's ability to make future profits), are not necessarily included on a balance sheet and so will not appear in an NAV calculation.
A company's market value will not always be greater than its NAV. For example, analysts and management estimated that
In contrast to fund valuation, the assets of a company will generally be valued for the purpose of a NAV calculation using the book value, the historical cost, or the amortised cost of the company's assets, or an appropriate combination of the three.
Real estate investment trusts
NAV is one of the valuation indices of
Variable insurance and variable annuity contracts
See also
- Net assets
- Assets under management
References
- ^ "Net Asset Value". Corporate Finance Institute. Retrieved 2022-12-21.
- ^ "Net Asset Value | Investor.gov". www.investor.gov. Retrieved 2022-12-21.
- ^ "Net Asset Value | Investor.gov". www.investor.gov. Retrieved 2023-01-03.
- ^ Raymond James (August 9, 2011). "Glossary of Investment Terms". raymondjames.com.
- ^ AICPA Audit and Accounting Guide - Investment Companies May 1, 2007.
- ^ "A Guide To Understanding Mutual Funds" (PDF). Investment Company Institute.
- ^ "SEBI Modifies NAV value rules for mutual Funds - Economic Times". The Economic Times.
- ^ "The Importance of Net Asset Value (NAV) Within Closed-End Funds". Closed-End Fund Association. Retrieved 2022-12-21.
- Bank of International Settlements.
- ^ Daniel Strauss (November 29, 2019). "Morgan Stanley reportedly fires or places on leave at least 4 traders while investigating millions in hidden losses | Markets Insider". Business Insider.
- ^ Eugene Ingoglia; Todd Fishman; Mark Daniels (April 22, 2020). "Amid falling markets, valuation challenges and mis-marking fraud risks rise". Investigations Insight.
- ^ a b Aziz Abdel-Qader (January 31, 2020). "Morgan Stanley Names Two New Heads for FX Options Desk; Silverman and Jeurissen are replacing Thiago Melzer, who was fired in November amid allegations of mismarking securities". Finance Magnates.
- ^ .
- ^ Kent Oz (2009). "Independent Fund Administrators As A Solution for Hedge Fund Fraud," Fordham Journal of Corporate & Financial Law.
- SSRN 3395430.
- ISBN 0-536-34228-8.
- ^ a b Guide to Sound Practices for Hedge Fund Administrators
- ^ "Sound Practice Guidelines for Administrators of Alternative Funds including Experienced Investor Funds in the Isle of Man"
- ^ ISBN 978-0-12-802512-3– via Google Books.
- ^ Katie Benner (May 9, 2011). "Pulling the veil on the veil pullers". Fortune.
- ^ a b "Madoff Anwar case, with $235 million in settlement monies, finally comes to a close"
- ^ a b "The Citco Settlement And What Lies Ahead For PwC," Law360.
- ^ Anwar v. Fairfield Greenwich (SDNY)
- ^ "Hammerson - General". Propertymall.com. Archived from the original on 2012-03-20. Retrieved 2012-04-17.