Discussion Document: Monitoring Inflation in Certain Countries, November 2019

November 19, 2019

In an effort to facilitate greater consistency, the CAQ International Practices Task Force (the “Task Force”) developed a framework for compiling inflation data to assist registrants in monitoring inflation statistics in connection with their determination of the inflationary status of countries in which they have operations. The information herein may be helpful to management in applying ASC 830, in conjunction with its internal controls over financial reporting to reach a conclusion on whether a country’s economy should be considered highly-inflationary.

The Task Force compiled cumulative inflation data by country (for those countries for which the International Monetary Fund publishes data), and then categorized the countries based on their cumulative inflation rates and the implementation guidance in ASC 830. (See the Appendix for a detailed description of how inflation rates are calculated.) In addition, the Task Force identified countries where projected cumulative inflation rates would have been categorized into categories considering the guidance in ASC 830 and in circumstances where there was not consistent reliable data.