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Balancing item

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Updated: Aug 20, 2021

An entry in a set of accounts to cover the discrepancy between two different figures for the same item. This is used when two methods of measurement produce different results for figures which should by definition be the same if both methods were completely accurate. Statisticians include a balancing item, or statistical adjustment, rather than changing one figure to agree with the other, when they do not know which, if either, is correct.

Reference: Oxford Press Dictonary of Economics, 5th edt.


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James is a lead content editor for Invezz. He's an avid trader and golfer, who spends an inordinate amount of time watching Leicester City and the… read more.