Love it or hate it, the new lease accounting standard is here. IFRS 16 Leases was published in January and is effective in 2019. Analysts love it. Many others have, shall we say, mixed feelings.

The standard means bigger balance sheets for many companies, much bigger in some cases. It also means changes in key financial ratios for those affected. Most analysts already adjust financial statements to reflect off-balance sheet lease liabilities. You can expect a lot of interest in how your IFRS 16 lease liability compares with analysts’ expectations.