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What you will learn
- Check that quantities, cash and prices refer to the same valuation time.
- Calculate a known subtotal without calling it a complete total.
- Label assumed scenarios and specify the missing information.
Read the timestamp before multiplying
Allow 20 minutes and record the required model time as 14:00. Cash of SEK 300 and quantities of ten A and five B are verified for that time. A’s price is 40 at 14:00. B’s only card supplies 70 at 13:00. Prices use the same currency, but the new B price is missing.
There are no trades, outside payments or other assets between the cards. Only these two long holdings and cash are permitted. B’s earlier observation can be described as historical, but it is not a verified 14:00 observation. Missing is an information status, not a statement that the share has a price of zero.
If the table does not fit, scroll it sideways.
| Component | Verified quantity or cash | Price information |
|---|---|---|
| Cash | SEK 300 | Applies at 14:00 |
| A | 10 shares | SEK 40 at 14:00 |
| B | 5 shares | SEK 70 at 13:00; 14:00 missing |
The known subtotal is SEK 700
Cash plus A is 300 + 10 × 40 = SEK 700. Record known subtotal 700, with B not yet valued at 14:00. The complete total cannot be established from the supplied information. Ask the partner to specify exactly what would complete the calculation: B’s price at the required time and in the correct currency.
Using B’s old price produces 700 + 5 × 70 = SEK 1,050. This is a sum using mixed price timestamps, not the requested verified total. You may retain the calculation with that label. Investor.gov describes how valuation inputs can use older market data, so each number needs to be read in its context.
An assumption can be calculated without becoming an observation
For a separate calculation, choose hypothetical B prices of SEK 60 and 100 at 14:00. They give totals of 700 + 5 × 60 = 1,000 and 700 + 5 × 100 = 1,200. Label both as your own scenarios. They are neither new quotes nor an established possible market range.
Nothing in the original cards proves that B’s actual price lies between 60 and 100. A scenario outside those numbers could also need calculating if someone asked that question. Do not treat the interval as a forecast, risk boundary or guarantee. The formula may be correct even when the price entered is an unresolved assumption.
Leave a card with one precise open question
Write three lines: known subtotal 700; complete 14:00 total unknown; next input is a 14:00 price for B in the correct currency. The partner should see the difference without asking which number was guessed. Retain earlier observations with their timestamps instead of overwriting them with a new interpretation of the same information.
Investiq’s portfolio guide connects this task to holdings and values, but the worksheet promises neither an update frequency nor a missing-price feature in the app. This is a manual information check. Continue to chart periods and portfolio reconciliation if quantities or cash are also uncertain: those components must first be verified separately.
Try it yourself
A new card has cash of SEK 200 and four A at a verified ending price of 25. Three B have no price at that same time. What subtotal is known? What totals result from explicitly assumed B prices of 50 and 70?
Show the solution and explanation
The known subtotal is SEK 300. The assumed scenarios give SEK 450 and SEK 510; the verified complete total remains unknown.
200 + 4 × 25 = 300. In separate scenarios add 3 × 50 or 3 × 70. Assumed prices do not verify the missing actual price.
Check your understanding
Does a missing price mean B is worth zero?
No. Missing means the required price information has not been verified.
Do scenarios of 1,000 and 1,200 establish an actual price range?
No. Their B prices are chosen calculation assumptions, not observed bounds.
Practise with virtual money
Try what you just learned in a practice portfolio with virtual money. You don't deposit any real money.
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More activities on this topic
Reconcile a practice portfolio
Sources and examples
The sources support the factual explanations. Calculations and exercises were created for this lesson. Amounts and price changes are invented unless stated otherwise.
This material is educational and does not recommend securities to buy. A simulated result does not guarantee a future result.
