There are those that believe that the analysis of financial statements has limitations. Which of the statements below would qualify as a limitation of financial statement analysis?
A) Ratio analysis requires the analyst to evaluate a firm's performance over too many years to be of any value.
B) Proper ratio analysis requires the analyst to rely upon audited financial statements, which can be easily manipulated.
C) Thorough ratio analysis requires the analyst to refer to benchmarking, which is very easy to misinterpret.
D) Ratio analysis requires the analyst to utilize accounting data that is based on historical costs instead of current market values.
Answer: D