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IBBC Capital Academy

Market mechanics practice

Fictional prices, money and cases. Self-study reading and worksheets; no live market connection or order execution, accreditation or investment advice. Claude is not connected live.

Open the bilingual materials for instructions and exercises. Public answers support self-study, not secure assessment.

Price is not liquidity

Objectives

Distinguish bid, ask and spread.

Explain partial execution and IOC cancellation.

Reconcile fees without assuming execution.

Reading

In this synthetic lab a buy consumes the visible ask, a sell the visible bid. One shared volume budget applies per tick. A limit protects the execution price but can leave all units unfilled. All orders are immediate-or-cancel: unfilled units disappear and do not wait for the next tick. This deliberately simplified model is not a full order book.

Example

US liquidity, tick 0: bid 99, ask 101, volume 20. Buy 25 units at market: 20 fill at 101; 5 cancel. Notional 2,020; fee 0.1% = 2.02; virtual cash 10,000 − 2,022.02 = 7,977.98. A buy limit of 100 fills zero, not 25 at 100.

Practice

Start a fresh US liquidity run; compare a limit 100 with a market order.

Reset; buy 25 units and explain canceled quantity and fee.

Advance one tick; record the wider spread and smaller available volume.

Size before conviction

Objectives

Calculate position notional and cash including fees.

Distinguish educational size flags from maximum loss.

Explain why a profitable oversized trade can be poor process.

Reading

SMALL flags intended notional above 5% of initial virtual capital; MEDIUM above 10%. These are classroom size budgets, not personal recommendations or stop-loss orders. The engine warns rather than blocks an oversized funded order. It rejects an intended order without enough cash including fees, even if visible liquidity would allow a smaller partial fill. Long-only holdings cannot go negative.

Example

US position tick 0: capital 10,000, ask 101. A SMALL budget is 500: 4 units have notional 404; fee 0.40; cash 9,595.60. Five units have notional 505, so trigger the size flag. This 5% notional budget does not promise a 5% maximum loss.

Practice

Calculate the largest whole-unit order within SMALL before submitting.

Reset; compare 4 and 5 units and inspect the flag.

Explain why both cash and units constrain a sell/buy decision.

Review the changed assumption

Objectives

Explain gaps, spread and reduced liquidity.

Separate a thesis from an observed result.

Submit an evidence-led reflection for a different reviewer.

Reading

A fixed synthetic path can rise and then fall sharply. An intention to exit at a price is not a guarantee: this lab implements no stop order. Advance only reveals the next tick; old canceled orders do not revive. Use the journal to explain what changed and what you could know at the decision time. A different fixture reviewer provides feedback; this is simulated review, not identity verification or investment approval.

Example

US volatility: buy 4 at ask 101 costs 404 + 0.40 = 404.40. After advancing twice, bid is 85 and visible volume 5. Sell 4 receives 340 − 0.34 = 339.66. Cash is 9,935.26, a loss of 64.74 including fees. Neither initial conviction nor a desired exit price changes these arithmetic facts.

Practice

Buy 4 in a fresh US volatility run; note the available information.

Advance twice; compare the current bid with entry ask before deciding.

Submit self review and switch to the different fixture reviewer; explain the limits of this simulation.

Purpose, evidence and honest boundaries

Objectives

Distinguish simulation results from real investment evidence.

State a learning goal and an information boundary.

Identify misleading performance and affiliation claims.

Reading

A training decision starts with a purpose: learn a mechanism, not promise a return. Fictional prices can test arithmetic and discipline but cannot establish skill on real markets. A fixture reviewer is a role in the exercise, not a verified professional. Keep the journal honest about information known before acting. Do not enter personal data or represent this course as endorsed by its reference sources.

Example

A learner gains 120 virtual units on a known repeated path. The defensible statement is: “This run produced 120 virtual units under synthetic-ioc-1.” It does not establish an expected return, a client result or approval by an institution. Review the order plan and evidence before assigning a process assessment.

Practice

Write a learning goal without a profit target.

Classify a fixture review, a real professional approval and a simulation gain.

Identify one misleading claim and replace it with an evidenced statement.

Read the synthetic market contract

Objectives

Explain spread, units and fees.

Recognize immediate settlement as a model assumption.

Identify which real exchange rules remain unmodeled.

Practice

Compute the round-trip cash change before submitting orders.

Buy and sell one unit in a fresh US liquidity scenario and reconcile the journal.

List three missing real-market mechanisms; do not guess their current rules.

Read the two sides of the quote

Write bid 99 and ask 101 on paper. You buy at the ask, the price offered by a seller; you sell at the bid, the price offered by a buyer. The spread is ask minus bid = 2. It is already reflected when you buy at 101 and sell at 99, not another cash fee to subtract.

Use the existing US synthetic example: initial cash 10000, holdings zero, one whole unit bought then the same unit sold at tick 0 without advancing the quote. Assume at least two units of shared volume remain so that both one-unit orders can fill. Each fill consumes one unit from that common pool.

The model fee is 0.1% of filled notional, rounded HALF_UP to 0.01 money units per trade. Settlement is immediate and virtual. These assumptions let us reconcile the two ledger entries; they do not describe verified US exchange or broker rules.

Walk through cash and holdings together

For the purchase, notional = 1 × 101 = 101. Fee = 101 × 0.001 = 0.101, rounded to 0.10. Cash outflow is 101.10; remaining cash is 10000 − 101.10 = 9898.90. Holdings become one, so this is not yet a completed round trip.

For the sale, notional = 1 × 99 = 99. Fee = 99 × 0.001 = 0.099, rounded to 0.10. Cash inflow is 98.90. Cash becomes 9898.90 + 98.90 = 9997.80 and holdings return to zero.

Cash change is −2.20. Reconcile independently: selling price minus buying price = −2, then subtract total fees 0.20, giving −2.20. No quote movement is needed for this loss. If you subtract the spread again after using both fill prices, you double count it.

StageSigned cash flowCash balanceHoldingsShared volume consumed
Before—10000.0000
Buy at ask−101.109898.9011
Sell at bid+98.909997.8002

Predict first, then inspect a journal

Cover the completed ledger and copy the blank table. For each leg write the side of the quote, notional, rounded fee, signed cash movement and resulting holdings. Then explain in one sentence why an unchanged quote can still produce a loss.

Test the boundary on paper: if only one shared unit remained initially and the buy filled it, could the sale also fill at the same tick? Do not assume a refill or guaranteed exit. State what is missing before computing a completed round-trip result.

The static reader supports this paper exercise and its self-check quiz. The order-submission exercise in the original lesson uses the separate local classroom described in the existing classroom guide. If that classroom is already available in an approved fixture, compare the predicted ledger with its US liquidity journal without advancing the tick. Do not mark orders as executed merely from reading this page.

Leg / quote sideNotional / feeSigned cashNew cash / holdings
Buy / ____________
Sell / ____________
Reconciliation_________

Compare the prediction and the volume boundary

Open the solution after your attempt

With both fills available: buy at ask 101, fee 0.10, cash −101.10, balance 9898.90, holdings 1; sell at bid 99, fee 0.10, cash +98.90, balance 9997.80, holdings 0. The round trip uses two units of shared volume and loses 2.20 = spread 2 + total fees 0.20.

With only one shared unit initially, the filled purchase exhausts it. The sale cannot obtain a fill at that same tick under the stated volume assumption. Cash after the buy is still 9898.90 and holdings remain 1; the completed-round-trip ending cash 9997.80 cannot be asserted for that case. A later quote and available volume would require a new calculation.

Before calling the work complete, check bid versus ask, both fees rounded separately, cash signs, holdings returning to zero only after a sale fill, and shared volume sufficient for both fills. Name three omitted real-market mechanisms, such as settlement cycles, taxes and a full order book, without guessing their current rules.

Defend a decision with evidence

Objectives

Combine order, fee and risk reasoning.

Separate available information from hindsight.

Prepare a reviewable report and improvement plan.

Reading

This capstone combines planning, execution, liquidity and reflection in a separate five-tick synthetic scenario. Preserve the plan before each action. Submit the journal, fee reconciliation, size-budget explanation and self review. A different fixture reviewer uses the proposed rubric. The path is deterministic and source-visible: it is practice, not a hidden or secure examination. No claim of unseen-case competence or real teacher verification is made.

Example

US capstone starts bid 99 / ask 101 with volume 8. A market buy of 4 fills at 101, fee 0.40, cash 9,595.60. After two advances, bid 90 with volume 1 allows a sell of 4 to fill only 1 at 90; fee 0.09, 3 cancel. Cash becomes 9,685.51 and holdings remain 3. The incomplete exit is evidence to discuss, not an automatic failing grade or profit forecast.

Practice

Before starting, record thesis, size budget and reconsideration trigger.

Complete a synthetic run and reconcile each execution and canceled quantity.

Submit self review; reviewer cites journal evidence for each rubric criterion and requests a specific improvement.

Money return is not a percentage

Objectives

Calculate gross and net cash profit with explicit costs.

Choose a consistent positive denominator and label the period.

Reject missing costs or zero purchase cost instead of inventing a return.

Set up the cash ledger before calculating a return

Use a blank sheet and write two rows: buy and sell. Your output is a signed cash ledger, a gross-to-net profit bridge and a labelled holding-period return. All figures below belong to the existing fictional completed round trip; this is a paper exercise.

Exactly 10 units are filled at 101 on purchase and the same 10 at 105 on sale. Use fictional money units, no dividends and no external cash flows. The classroom fee is 0.1% of each filled notional. Tax is excluded from this simplified case, not established as zero for a real transaction. The synthetic holding period is not specified as a year.

Convert 0.1% to 0.001 before multiplying. Round each trade fee HALF_UP to 0.01 money units. Only after calculating net profit divide by the purchase cost including its fee; round the final percentage to four decimal places. Keep these two rounding stages separate.

Follow the money through both legs

Purchase notional is 10 × 101 = 1010. The buy fee is 1010 × 0.001 = 1.01. You must fund both the asset and the fee: purchase cost = 1011.01. Enter −1011.01 because money leaves the account.

Sale notional is 10 × 105 = 1050. The sale fee is 1050 × 0.001 = 1.05. The amount received is 1050 − 1.05 = 1048.95, not 1050. Enter +1048.95 because money comes back. Fees apply to filled quantities; an unfilled order does not supply a filled notional in this exercise.

Add the signed cash entries: −1011.01 + 1048.95 = 37.94. Now check by a different route: price gain = 10 × (105 − 101) = 40; total fees = 1.01 + 1.05 = 2.06; net profit = 40 − 2.06 = 37.94. Both routes must agree.

LegFilled notionalFeeSigned cash
Buy1010.001.01−1011.01
Sell1050.001.05+1048.95
Sum—2.06+37.94

Choose the denominator, then name the result

The lesson defines net holding-period return as net profit / purchase cost including the buy fee × 100. Substitute 37.94 / 1011.01 × 100 = 3.7527% after final rounding. The denominator is the funded purchase cost, not sale notional or sale proceeds.

37.94 money units answers “how much net cash was gained?”; 3.7527% answers “how much was gained relative to this defined initial cost over this round trip?” Neither is an annualized return or a forecast. Dividing 40 by 1010 gives a gross price return under a different definition, not the net return requested.

Before interpreting an actual return, inventory costs and flows: taxes, spreads, slippage, financing, dividends and other relevant charges or cash flows. Identify what is already reflected in actual fill prices so that spread or slippage is not deducted twice. Do not silently substitute zero for an unknown cost. This simplified method cannot be applied unchanged to partial exits or external cash flows.

Close the example and rebuild it yourself

Copy this worksheet, cover the worked numbers above and reconstruct every cell from the original quantity, prices and fee rule. Write the formula beside the number. Reconcile the ledger total with gross profit less both fees before calculating the percentage.

Then diagnose four proposals: use 0.1 as the fee multiplier; report 40 as net profit; divide 37.94 by 1050 without changing the return definition; call 3.7527% an annual return. Explain the specific error in each. Finally state what you would do if the buy fee were missing or purchase cost were zero.

ItemFormulaYour result
Buy notional / fee / funded cost______
Sale notional / fee / net proceeds______
Signed ledger sum______
Gross gain − total fees______
Net holding-period return / period______

Check the completed work and stop conditions

Open the solution after your attempt

Expected worksheet: buy 1010 / 1.01 / 1011.01; sale 1050 / 1.05 / 1048.95; ledger +37.94; profit bridge 40 − 2.06 = 37.94; net holding-period return 3.7527% for one synthetic completed round trip. Your formulas must reconcile, not merely reproduce the final percentage.

0.1 is 10%, not 0.1%; use 0.001. The 40 omits both fees. A denominator of 1050 is sale notional and does not match the defined return. The synthetic period does not establish annual performance. If the buy fee is missing, obtain it or report that the defined net result cannot yet be computed. If purchase cost is zero, division is invalid: do not output infinity, zero percent or a guessed return.

Self-check: did you use filled units, round each fee first, record cash signs, reconcile both profit routes, retain a positive consistent denominator, label the period and state the cost scope? Rework any failed check before marking the reading complete.

Trace a claim before relying on it

Objectives

Separate publication date, effective date and retrieval date.

Classify original evidence, commentary and unsupported rumor.

Record unknowns and contradictions without declaring truth from a logo.

What you must produce

Prepare a provenance register and a conflict log on paper or a blank spreadsheet. The task is to justify a precisely worded claim, not to decide which number you prefer. Use only the three fictional records below; no real entity is being verified.

First copy the evidence faithfully, then distinguish what it supports from what remains unknown. The sentence “DOC-A v2 reports revenue 80 for P” describes a document. The sentence “actual revenue was 80” asserts an underlying fact that these records alone do not establish.

Step 1 — Read the evidence packet

The following tables reproduce the existing exercise facts. null means not supplied, not zero and not an invitation to guess. P is the period label provided; it is not identified as a calendar quarter. Unit and currency are not supplied.

DOC-B cites DOC-A, but the packet does not establish the version it cites or whether its 100 uses the same period and unit. Treat 80 versus 100 as an apparent conflict requiring scope checks; publication order alone cannot settle it.

DocumentKind / versionPublishedRetrievedEffective
DOC-AFictional primary / v22026-09-012026-09-03null
DOC-BCommentary / null2026-09-04nullnull
DOC-CRumor / nullnullnullnull
DocumentClaim / periodReferenceUnknowns
DOC-ARevenue 80 / PDOC-A v2Unit, currency, effective date
DOC-BRevenue 100 / nullCites DOC-ACited version, unit, period, retrieval date
DOC-CNo specific claim suppliedOriginal source nullDate, origin and support

Step 2 — Build one defensible row

Start with the exact limited claim, then attach the document ID and version. Record all three dates separately. If the packet does not name an issuer or provide a URL, leave that field null; do not invent a link, page number or verification stamp.

For A, publication is 1 September; retrieval is 3 September; effective date stays null. Retrieval describes when the record was obtained, not when its contents became legally effective. A is a primary record for what A states, not independent verification of actual revenue.

ClaimLocatorDatesConclusion
DOC-A reports 80 for PDOC-A / v2Published 01 Sep; retrieved 03 Sep; effective nullDocument statement supported; actual revenue not independently established

Step 3 — Keep the conflict visible

Follow B → A. This is a citation chain, not two independent confirmations. Write both figures in the conflict log, together with the missing comparability fields. Do not average them to 90, replace A with the newer commentary, or declare either number fraudulent.

Next ask: does B cite A v2? Is P the same? Are units, currency and revenue definitions equal? Is there a later original correction? In this packet those answers are missing. The proper outcome is unresolved pending those checks, not a manufactured resolution.

Your turn — Fill the register before opening the answer

Copy the blank rows below and complete A, B and C. Include why each null remains unknown. Then write two dated notes: what can be supported from the packet as of 3 September 2026, and what changes when B is later encountered. Do not silently backdate information.

Finally assess these proposed conclusions: “A was effective on 3 September”; “B independently confirms A”; “revenue must be 90”; “A v2 reports 80 for P.” For each, give the supporting record or the precise reason it is unsupported.

Document / versionExact claim / period / unitPublished / retrieved / effectiveSource chain / unknown reason
A / ____________
B / ____________
C / ____________
DisagreementComparable scope?Checks still neededCurrent conclusion
____________

Compare your reasoning

Open the solution after your attempt

A: v2, reports 80 for P; published 1 September, retrieved 3 September, effective null. Unit, currency and named issuer remain null because not supplied. B: commentary, published 4 September, claims 100 and cites A; its version, retrieval, effective date, period and unit remain null. C: undated rumor with original source null; the packet supplies no specific claim to verify.

At the 3 September cutoff, A has been retrieved and supports the limited statement about A v2. B has a later publication date and cannot be treated as evidence already known from this packet at that cutoff. When B is encountered later, record an apparent 80/100 conflict and the B → A dependence. Its actual retrieval date must still be recorded when known, not assumed to be 4 September.

The first three proposed conclusions are unsupported: retrieval is not effectiveness; a derivative citation is not independent corroboration; averaging has no evidential basis. Only “A v2 reports 80 for P” is supported in that limited wording. Keep the apparent conflict unresolved until version, period, unit and any original correction can be checked.

Check the work, not your confidence

Check that every factual assertion points to A, B or C; every absent field has a reason; dates are distinct; the conflict remains visible; and your conclusion says what the document reports rather than certifying the business. Correct any sentence that exceeds its evidence.

An acceptable output contains three provenance rows, one conflict row, two time-bounded notes and reasons for all four proposed conclusions. If you cannot reproduce these without the solution, repeat the row-building steps before marking the lesson read.

Evidence can invalidate a plan

Objectives

Write a falsifiable assumption before a decision.

Distinguish an observation from an inference and proposed action.

Explain why reassessment need not mean an automatic buy or sell.

Reading

A thesis should include an observable condition and a reconsideration trigger. If evidence breaches the condition, record the change, check comparability and reassess. This is a reasoning workflow, not a mechanical recommendation. Do not use a later publication to justify an earlier order. A correct process can end with a loss, and a poorly supported process can profit on a fictional path.

Example

Before tick 0 the learner records: “My fictional case assumes comparable revenue at least 100; reconsider if the next original notice is below 100.” At tick 1 a comparable fictional notice reports 80. Observation: 80 is below 100 by 20, or 20% of the threshold. Inference: the stated assumption is breached. Next process step: verify the notice and revise the case; the fixture does not prescribe a trade. The tick-1 notice was not available for a tick-0 decision.

Practice

Label the assumption, observation, inference and next review step separately.

Explain what would make periods incomparable and require an unknown conclusion.

Write a hindsight-free self review citing only information available at the decision tick.

Execution cost needs a named benchmark

Objectives

Calculate signed adverse price cost for buy and sell.

Separate explicit fee, price difference and unfilled quantity.

Explain benchmark choice and excluded opportunity costs.

Reading

This workbook defines an internal observed-price benchmark before the order, not a universal best-execution measure. For buys, adverse price cost is filled quantity × (execution price − reference price). For sells it is filled quantity × (reference price − execution price). Add the explicit filled-notional fee to obtain this lesson’s total observed execution cost. Divide by filled quantity × reference price and multiply by 10,000 for basis points. A favorable execution may give a negative price component. Do not add the spread again when its effect is already inside the execution-to-reference difference. Unfilled opportunity cost is excluded and must be disclosed.

Example

Reference 100 is observed before a fictional order requesting 15 units; only 10 fill and 5 cancel. BUY execution 101 gives adverse price cost 10, fee 1.01, total 11.01 and 110.1 bps on benchmark notional 1,000. SELL execution 99 gives adverse cost 10, fee 0.99, total 10.99 and 109.9 bps. These are separate examples, not one linked round trip. Five canceled units are not charged fees; their opportunity cost is unknown.

Practice

Compute each side with the correct sign and record all units.

Try a buy execution 99 against reference 100 and explain the negative price component.

State the benchmark timestamp and all excluded costs before comparing executions.

Read Vietnamese market rules before simulation

Objectives

Separate source facts, simulation assumptions and unknowns.

Check lot, price increment and session separately; a price-grid-valid order is not a guaranteed fill.

Explain why immediate lab settlement does not represent Vietnamese equity T+2 settlement.

Read timestamped disclosures with the correct scope and source version.

Reading

A rule needs a market, security type, effective date and source locator. Decision 22/QĐ-HĐTV dated 16 March 2026 replaces the same-number decision of 18 April 2025. Appendix III distinguishes HOSE and HNX listed shares; one number does not cover all of Vietnam. The existing lab uses fictional symbols, predetermined prices, simplified IOC and immediate synthetic settlement. These are learning assumptions, not evidence of exchange fidelity.

Example

Suppose a learner checks an LO buy for 200 fictional shares at VND20,150. Quantity 200 is two round lots of 100. In this band the increment is VND50, so 20,150 is on-grid while 20,125 is off-grid. Notional at the limit is 200 × 20,150 = VND4,030,000 before fees/tax. This checks only two conditions, not the price band, session, available funds, exchange acceptance or execution. Without a suitably priced seller, a grid-valid order may remain unfilled. Fees, tax, fill price and settlement date remain null because this example does not establish them.

Practice

Record exchange/market, security type and fictional symbol.

Record source ID, effective date and retrieval date; flag unknowns.

Check lot and increment separately; do not ignore session or status.

State thesis and size budget before ordering, without future information.

Distinguish limit-price notional, execution price, fees and settlement.

For announcements record publication time, scope and unverified details.

Preserve your reflection for a separate reviewer; a lab score is not certification.

Portfolio weights and the limits of diversification

Objectives

Reconcile position values and cash to positive equity.

Calculate percentage weights using the same equity denominator.

Separate a concentration indicator from evidence of diversification.

Reading

Investor.gov describes spreading exposure across and within asset classes as diversification and notes that narrowly focused funds can share holdings. This worksheet only measures single-name notional weights; asset labels alone do not establish independent risks. For each position, value = quantity × price. Equity = cash + all position values. Weight percent = value / equity × 100; cash uses the same denominator. The largest asset weight excludes cash, but its denominator still includes cash. It is not a risk score or a suggested allocation. No cross-currency summation is allowed.

Example

At the stated synthetic snapshot: cash 100, A = 2 × 50 = 100, B = 4 × 25 = 100. Equity = 300. Cash, A and B each have 33.3333% weight. Maximum asset weight is 33.3333%, not 50%; 50% would use invested assets only, a different denominator. The rounded displayed sum is 99.9999%. Two fictional labels provide no sector or correlation evidence.

Practice

Show values, denominator and all three weights before rounding.

Set both quantities to zero while retaining cash 100: explain cash weight 100% and maximum asset weight 0%.

Write a short Vietnamese review identifying missing sector, overlapping exposure and liquidity evidence; do not recommend a trade.

Stress scenarios without predictions

Objectives

Apply explicit position shocks while leaving cash unchanged.

Reconcile stressed equity and signed delta against two ground truths.

Explain why a chosen joint shock is not a correlation estimate or loss probability.

Reading

A scenario is an assumption chosen for an exercise, not an estimated future event. Stressed value = quantity × price × (1 + shock). Stressed equity = unchanged cash + stressed position values. Delta = stressed equity − initial equity. A shock of −1 removes the modeled position value; it does not model debt or liquidation. The worksheet accepts shocks from −1 to +1 and nonnegative quantities only. Joint declines can illustrate shared exposure, but no dependence is estimated. No probabilities or worst-case completeness are supplied.

Example

Scenario 1: cash 100; A 100 shocked −20% becomes 80; B 100 shocked +10% becomes 110. Initial equity 300; stressed equity 290; delta −10. Scenario 2 is a separate portfolio: cash 50; A 3 × 20 = 60 shocked −100% becomes 0; B 2 × 40 = 80 unchanged. Equity 190 becomes 130; delta −60. Initial weights: cash 26.3158%, A 31.5789%, B 42.1053%. The −60 delta is not a probability or an executable cash balance.

Practice

Reproduce both scenarios and separately label initial versus stressed values.

For scenario 1 assume both asset shocks are −20%: A and B become 80 each, equity 260, delta −40. Explain why this is not an estimated correlation.

Double cash and all quantities in scenario 1: equity 600, stressed 580, delta −20, unchanged initial weights. Explain model exclusions in Vietnamese.

Read statements before forming a thesis

Objectives

Distinguish a dated balance sheet from period flows.

Reconcile revenue, profit, receivables and operating cash.

Record accounting assumptions and unanswered questions before a simulated trade.

Your task and the learning route

Put a blank sheet beside you. By the end, produce an income statement, a cash-flow reconciliation, a closing balance sheet and a short evidence-based conclusion. Work through the guided case first; then solve the new case without looking at the model answer.

A useful conclusion separates an observation, its possible explanation and the evidence still needed. “Profit is positive, therefore buy” does not perform that analysis. This lesson develops the accounting work that must come before a simulated trading thesis.

Step 1 — Read the facts before calculating

Use one fictional currency unit throughout. The reporting period is one month. Opening assets consist only of cash 100; opening equity is 100; opening receivables and liabilities are zero. The firm earns and recognises revenue 80 during the month, collects 50 of that revenue, and recognises and pays operating expenses 60.

All revenue in this case has been earned. No tax, inventory, depreciation, debt, dividends, capital expenditure, owner contribution, advance receipts, FX or other cash flows occur. These are the assumptions that make the short reconciliation possible. Do not carry the simplified shortcut into a real company without checking its notes.

A balance-sheet amount is measured at a date; revenue, expense and cash flow cover a period. Write the month and “fictional currency units” above your working. Put opening and closing dates on the balance-sheet columns, not on the income statement as if it were a single-day balance.

Step 2 — Trace each transaction through the accounts

Do not begin by copying the profit into cash. First ask: what was earned, what was collected, what was consumed and what was paid? In this case, recognising revenue and receiving cash are separate events.

  1. Recognise the earned sale: debit receivables 80, credit revenue 80. Receivables rise to 80; this entry creates no cash.
  2. Collect 50: debit cash 50, credit receivables 50. Cash rises from 100 to 150; the remaining customer claim is 80 − 50 = 30. Collection is not a second revenue entry.
  3. Recognise and pay the expense: debit operating expense 60, credit cash 60. Cash falls from 150 to 90. Expense reduces profit; payment reduces cash.
  4. Check the movements: receivables +30, cash −10, period profit +20. The extra assets of 20 have come from profit, not from new borrowing or owner funding.

Step 3 — Build the statements and reconcile them

Calculate in the order below. Keep the minus signs: a negative operating cash flow is an outflow, not a negative revenue. The direct and indirect cash-flow methods describe the same operating cash movement using different starting points.

In the indirect bridge, receivables increase by 30. That is revenue included in profit but not yet collected, so subtract 30 from profit. The bridge works here because the case excludes all other adjustments; real cash-flow statements usually contain several.

WorkingSubstitutionResult
Period profitRevenue 80 − expense 6020
Direct operating cash flowCustomer receipts 50 − payments 60−10
Increase in receivablesClosing 30 − opening 030
Indirect operating cash flowProfit 20 − receivables increase 30−10
Closing cashOpening 100 + operating cash flow (−10)90
Closing assetsCash 90 + receivables 30120
Closing equityOpening equity 100 + profit 20120
Accounting equation residualAssets 120 − liabilities 0 − equity 1200

Step 4 — Explain the result in ordinary language

The business earned profit 20 while operating cash fell by 10. Both can be true: 30 of recognised revenue remains receivable. A 25% profit margin (20 ÷ 80) says nothing by itself about when that receivable will be collected.

Now change only collection from 50 to 40. Before calculating, predict which statements change. Revenue and expense are unchanged, so profit stays 20 and closing equity stays 120. Operating cash becomes 40 − 60 = −20; closing cash is 80; receivables become 40. Assets remain 80 + 40 = 120.

This one-period change does not prove fraud or insolvency. Ask for receivable ageing, contractual payment dates, subsequent collections and whether the same timing pattern recurs. A useful sentence is: “Operating cash fell because collections lagged recognised revenue in this simplified case; the next evidence needed is the collection schedule.”

Step 5 — Locate the same distinction in a public report

Open Microsoft Annual Report 2025, financial statements, year ended 30 June 2025, USD millions. Find total revenue 281,724, net income 101,832 and net cash from operations 136,162. Verify the unit and year before copying. Operating cash 136,162 minus net income 101,832 is 34,330 USD millions; read the reconciliation lines before explaining it. This is a fixed reading exercise, not a valuation.

Your turn — Build a new set without copying the example

Cover the model answer below. A second fictional firm starts the month with cash 200, equity 200, zero receivables and zero liabilities. It earns revenue 120, collects 75 and recognises and pays expenses 90. All other exclusions are the same as in Step 1. Use paper or your own spreadsheet; no file or personal information needs to be submitted here.

  1. Write the three account entries and explain why the receipt of 75 is not new revenue.
  2. Prepare the income statement: revenue, expense and profit. Show the subtraction.
  3. Calculate operating cash directly, then reconcile it from profit using the change in receivables.
  4. Calculate closing cash, receivables, total assets and equity. Check assets − liabilities − equity = 0.
  5. Change only collections to 60. Predict which totals stay unchanged, then recompute the affected lines.
  6. Write four sentences: one observation, its accounting explanation, one alternative explanation needing investigation and the specific evidence you would request.

Blank working sheets — Complete these before opening the solution

Copy these three small statements onto your sheet. Add the reporting period/date and fictional currency unit. Fill every blank using the independent case, then add a second column for collections of 60. The blanks are prompts for your own working, not a form that sends data.

Income statement — for the month
LineYour amount and working
Revenue____
Operating expense____
Profit____
Cash-flow working — for the month
LineYour amount and working
Customer receipts____
Operating payments (show the sign)____
Net operating cash flow____
Opening cash____
Closing cash____
Balance sheet — at the closing date
LineYour amount and working
Cash____
Receivables____
Total assets____
Liabilities____
Equity____
Assets − liabilities − equity____

Model solution — Compare the method, not just the totals

Open the solution after your attempt

Entries: debit receivables / credit revenue 120; debit cash / credit receivables 75; debit expense / credit cash 90. Receivables end at 45. The cash receipt settles a previously recorded claim.

Profit = 120 − 90 = 30. Direct operating cash = 75 − 90 = −15. Indirect operating cash = profit 30 − receivables increase 45 = −15. Closing cash = 200 − 15 = 185. Assets = 185 + 45 = 230. Equity = 200 + 30 = 230. The balance check is 230 − 0 − 230 = 0.

With collections of 60: receivables = 120 − 60 = 60; operating cash = 60 − 90 = −30; closing cash = 170. Profit is still 30; assets and equity still equal 230. A larger share of recognised revenue remains uncollected as a receivable; the accounting equation still balances.

Example conclusion: “Profit is 30 but operating cash is −15. Receivables increased by 45 under these assumptions. This may reflect agreed credit terms or delayed collection; the figures alone do not distinguish them. I would request invoice due dates and subsequent receipt evidence before drawing a stronger conclusion.”

Check your work and diagnose common errors

Check four things before calling the work complete: both operating-cash methods agree; closing cash equals opening cash plus all modelled flows; the closing balance sheet balances; and your conclusion distinguishes a fact from an unverified explanation.

If you wrote cash 120 in the guided case, you probably added profit to opening cash and ignored the uncollected 30. If revenue became 130, you probably counted the receipt 50 twice. If indirect CFO became 50, you added the receivable increase instead of subtracting it. Return to the account trace, rather than forcing a balancing number.

Keep your first calculation and corrections. You should be able to explain each sign and source without looking at the answer. Repeat with another set of fictional numbers only after the reconciliation works.

Evidence in your submissionSelf-check
Period, unit and assumptionsAll are stated before the calculations
Account entries and profitRevenue and receipt are not counted twice
Direct and indirect operating cashEach formula and substitution is visible; both equal
Closing cash and balance sheetThe cash bridge and accounting equation reconcile
Interpretation and evidence requestA specific source is requested; no unsupported trade conclusion

Liquidity gaps and partial exits

Objectives

Reproduce an existing reviewed capstone path.

Separate filled from cancelled quantity and remaining exposure.

Explain why a displayed exit order does not guarantee liquidation.

Reading

Use the existing US capstone fixture only. Start fresh, place a market buy of four shares, advance twice, then place a market sell of four. The engine models constrained volume and cancels unfilled remainder; this is a classroom convention, not the full US exchange order lifecycle. Cancelled quantity never creates cash. Fees, quote time and order IDs must come from the actual fixture export.

Example

Reviewed existing path ends at cash 9685.51, holdings3, last sell filled1 and cancelled3. Requested4=filled1+cancelled3. One share sold does not mean all four were liquidated. The cash figure includes this particular fixture history; do not extrapolate it to another order sequence, price, fee model or currency.

Practice

Run the exact path in a fresh synthetic lab and export evidence before doing anything else.

Reconcile requested4, filled1, cancelled3 and holdings3; annotate the last order and scenario tick.

Write a risk note about remaining exposure and unavailable depth; identify what the simplified model excludes without recommending a new live trade.

Evidence portfolio and peer capstone

Objectives

Assemble a reproducible synthetic portfolio.

Separate author, peer comments and instructor validation.

Revise a claim using evidence while preserving the original version.

Reading

A portfolio is a manual learning artifact: objectives, fixture and rule versions, assumptions, order export, calculations, unanswered questions and revisions. Another learner challenges one conclusion; the author responds with evidence or marks it unknown. A peer comment is not teacher approval, verified identity, professional accreditation or a secure examination.

Example

Version1 says “all four shares exited”. Peer points to last order filled1/cancelled3 and holdings3. Version2 corrects the statement, cites the order export and retains version1 plus the reason for revision. A checksum can compare file bytes but does not prove author identity or tamper-proof history.

Practice

Assemble a labelled synthetic pack with B2 accounts, A1 export and A2 stress worksheet; record source and model limits separately.

Ask a different peer to challenge one conclusion; retain their original comment and your response.

Submit version1, version2, change log and a five-minute oral explanation; instructor assessment remains pending until a real instructor reviews.

Separate interactive classroom guide