Choice Of Functional Currency Under SFAS No. 52

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to determine the importance of various factors in the choice of the functional currency used by 400 major multinational corporations Selection of functional currency is a key feature of SFAS No. 52 because it determines the method used to translate foreign currency financial statements into U.S. dollars and the extent to which changes in exchange rates affect consolidated operating results. The results reveal that cash flows and sales market were the two most important factors, while financing and intercompany transactions were the least important criteria in selecting the functional currency.