Deterioro del valor de los activos mineros según las normas internacionales de contabilidad y la gestión de resultados: evidencia para las empresas mineras chilenas

Abstract

The year 2015 was marked by a decline in the prices of different metals, including copper. Chile is characterized by being a historically mining country, and multiple effects have been foretold in the national media. The objective of this research is, firstly, to verify the real effects of the decline of the price of copper in the financial statements of the Chilean mining companies by studying a sample of annual financial statements of 33 mining companies. Secondly, to confirm if the managers of the mining companies of the sample use the discretion provided by the International Accounting Standards in the application of impairment tests to their assets. Specifically, the impact of the decline in the price of copper it´s analyzed regarding the carrying amount of Inventories, Property, Plant and Equipment (PP&E), and Intangible Assets. The results confirm that only 36% of the companies of the sample applied an impairment test to their assets, and those that show a greater impact on the Financial Statements are related to mining operations that have exploitation difficulties.