A cash flow statement presents the changes in the cash and cash equivalents of a business. It classifies the cash flow items into either operating, investing, or financing activities. Unlike a balance sheet that provides information about the company on a particular date, a cash flow statement proviRead more
A cash flow statement presents the changes in the cash and cash equivalents of a business. It classifies the cash flow items into either operating, investing, or financing activities. Unlike a balance sheet that provides information about the company on a particular date, a cash flow statement provides information about the flow of cash over a period of time.
OBJECTIVE
Information obtained through cash flow statements is aimed to assess the ability of a business to generate cash and at the same time, maintain liquidity. Therefore, important economic decisions can be made by evaluating these cash flow statements.
Cash Flow statements are categorized into
- Operating Activities: These activities refer to the main activities of the business during an accounting period. They involve revenue-generating activities. As per the indirect method, profit before tax is taken as the starting point and all non-cash expenses are added while non-cash incomes are deducted. Whereas in direct method, cash receipts and cash expenses are added and subtracted respectively. Eg: sale of goods.
- Investing Activities: These activities involve the sale and purchase of non-current assets and investments. Eg: cash payment for machinery.
- Financing Activities: These activities result in a change in capital or borrowings. Eg: cash proceeds from the issue of equity shares.
Importance of Cash Flow
A cash flow statement gives us knowledge about the liquidity and solvency of the company. These are necessary for the survival and expansion of the company. It also helps in predicting future cash flows by using information from previous cash flows. It also helps in comparison between companies which shows the actual cash profits.
Working Capital is the capital used in the daily operations of the business. It is calculated as the difference between current assets and current liabilities. Gross working capital means current assets and net working capital means the difference between current assets and current liabilities. WorkRead more
Working Capital is the capital used in the daily operations of the business. It is calculated as the difference between current assets and current liabilities. Gross working capital means current assets and net working capital means the difference between current assets and current liabilities.
Working Capital indicates the short-term liquidity of its business. It means the ability of a company to meet its daily requirements through short-term financing.
Working Capital can be;
Positive or negative working capital follows a simple rule of math. If current assets are more than current liabilities, working capital is positive and if current assets are less than current liabilities, working capital is negative. When current assets are equal to current liabilities, working capital is zero.
Negative working capital for a short period means that the company has made a big payment to its vendors, or a significant increase in the creditor’s account because of credit purchases.
However, if working capital is negative for a longer period it indicates that the company is struggling with its operating requirements or that it has to finance its daily operations through long-term borrowings.
The current ratio for a company is calculated as:Â
Current Assets divided by Current Liabilities.
Working Capital and Current Ratio are interrelated. If the Current Ratio is more than 1, it means current assets exceed current liabilities and Working Capital is positive. However, if the Current Ratio is less than 1, it means current liabilities exceed current assets and Working Capital is negative.
For example-
If Current Assets are Rs 50,000 and Current Liabilities are Rs 70,000 then
Working Capital= Current Assets – Current Liabilities
WCÂ Â Â Â Â Â =Â Â Â Â Rs 70,000Â Â –Â Â Â Rs 50,000
WCÂ Â Â Â Â Â =Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Rs. 20,000
Current Ratio = Current Assets / Current Liabilities
CRÂ Â Â Â =Â Â Â Â Â Rs.50,000/ Rs. 70,000
CRÂ Â Â Â =Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 0.71< 1