ITPEC FE Morning October 2019 Question 79

Topic: Corporate ActivitiesAlso asked in March 2018

Which of the following inventory valuation methods calculates the inventory unit price by dividing the total purchase amount by the total quantity of items purchased at the end of the accounting period?

Explanation

Periodic average method — one average unit price for the whole period, total purchase amount ÷ total quantity, taken at the period end.

At the end of the accounting period, the cost of the opening stock and all purchases of the period is added up and divided by the total quantity. That single unit price values both the goods issued and the closing inventory. Example: 100 units at 10 dollars and 100 units at 14 dollars give (1,000 + 1,400) ÷ 200 = 12 dollars per unit.

Answer (d)

Why not others:

  • •(a) First-in first-out — assumes the oldest goods are issued first, so closing stock carries the latest purchase prices; nothing is averaged
  • •(b) Last-in first-out — assumes the newest goods are issued first, so closing stock carries the oldest prices; nothing is averaged
  • •(c) Moving average — also total cost ÷ total quantity, but recalculated at every receipt, not once at the end of the period

Key rule: Both average methods divide total cost by total quantity; the moving average recalculates at every receipt, the periodic average once per period.

Corporate Activities · AI-written, may contain errors

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