Statement of cash flows

The statement of cash flows reports the cash effects of a company's operations for a period of time. The main purpose is to provide financial information about the cash receipts and cash payments of a business for a specific period of time. This helps investors, creditors and other external users about a company’s cash position. The statement shows the cash effects of a company's operating, investing, and financing activities. The statement of cash flows indicates the net increase or decrease in cash during the period as well as the ending cash balance.

It helps to answer some questions such as,

• where did cash come from during the period,
• how was the cash used,
• what was the change in cash balance during the period?