What financial statement would show a company's revenues and expenses over a period of time?

The income statement is the financial statement that presents a company's revenues and expenses over a specific period of time, typically covering a quarter or a year. It reflects the company's operational performance by detailing how much money was earned (revenues) and how much was spent (expenses) during that timeframe. The resulting figure on the income statement, often labeled as net income or net loss, indicates whether the company made a profit or incurred a loss during the period being reported.

In contrast, the balance sheet provides a snapshot of a company's financial position at a specific point in time, detailing its assets, liabilities, and equity, but does not account for revenues and expenses over time. The trial balance serves as an internal report that lists all account balances to ensure the total debits equal total credits, primarily for the purpose of bookkeeping accuracy, rather than providing an overview of financial performance. The statement of cash flows summarizes the cash inflows and outflows over a period, breaking down the effects of operating, investing, and financing activities, but does not present revenues and expenses in the same way the income statement does. Hence, the income statement is the most appropriate financial document for analyzing a company's operational results over a specified time period.