(Insert Table 4 about here)
At the date of IFRS adoption, book value captures the cumulative effect of accounting differences,
whereas net income captures the effects of accounting differences during the fiscal year. Table 4
shows that, at the time of the first adoption, 99% of the firms have positive book values in separate
financial statements under both Italian GAAP and IFRS. Only one firm reports a negative book value
(-24,119,771) under Italian GAAP, which remains negative (-26,811,279) under IFRS. 99% of the
firms report book value adjustments. Only one firm does not report any adjustment either on the
balance sheet or on the income statement. Book value adjustments are positive in 49% of cases and
negative in 51%, but none of the book values change signs after the adoption of IFRS. Book value
adjustments are included between – 69% and +112% of the amount under Italian GAAP. After the
adoption of IFRS, the average book value in separate financial statements rises by 3.13% as a result of
large adjustments made by a few firms, while the median slightly decreases by 0.51%. The standard
deviation under IFRS is slightly higher (+4.09%) than under Italian GAAP, indicating that the
adoption of IFRS magnified differences across firm book values.