Brent crude oil futures, which trade in London and are used as a benchmark to set prices for more than half of the worldâs oil, reached a record of $139.83 a barrel on June 30, 2008, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. By Jan. 13, the price had plunged 67 percent to $46.59.
Net worth. In business, net worth is the total assets minus total outside liabilities of an individual or a company. For a company, this is called shareholders' preference and may be referred to as book value. Net worth is stated as at a particular year in time. In the case of an individual, the term estate is used in relation to deceased individuals in probate. For businesses, the term is used in the context of fraudulent law and on the dissolution of the company.
Net worth in this formulation is not an expression of the market value of the firm: the firm may be worth more if sold as a going concern. On reading the balance sheet, if the accumulated losses exceed the shareholder's equity, it is a negative value for net worth.