Investopedia explains 'Flow Of Costs'
There are several methods for accounting for the flow of costs. These include LIFO (last in, first out), FIFO (first in, first out), specific identification and weighted-average cost. U.S. GAAP financial reporting standards require that companies that use the LIFO method report the difference between that method and FIFO in a line item called LIFO reserve. This allows analysts to readily compare firms using different cost flow assumptions.
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