What does the statement of profit or loss summarize?

The statement of profit or loss, also known as the income statement, is a financial statement that provides a summary of a company's revenues and expenses during a specific period of time, ultimately showing the company's net profit or loss. By focusing on income and expenditures, this statement highlights how much money the business earned from its operations (income) and the costs incurred to generate those earnings (expenditures).

Understanding income and expenditures is crucial for stakeholders as it indicates the company's profitability and financial performance over that period. Conversely, assets and liabilities pertain to the company’s balance sheet, cash flows and financing activities relate to the cash flow statement, while sales and inventory levels, while important for operations, do not provide a complete picture of a company's profitability like the income statement does. Therefore, the focus of the statement of profit or loss is accurately summed up by the option regarding income and expenditures.