Equity
What would be left of the company if every debt were paid off.
Equity is total assets less liabilities: issued capital, share premium, reserves and retained earnings from previous years, plus or minus this year's result.
It is the first figure to look at on a new trading partner. Healthy equity means the company can absorb a bad year without immediately defaulting.
Negative equity means liabilities exceed assets. That is not automatically insolvency — a subsidiary may be funded by its parent — but it is the question to ask before you ship on account.
Equity in figures
The ranking fills up as companies with published reports arrive.
Where this figure comes from
Read from the balance sheet in the annual accounts.
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