Question

Read each of the following statements, and indicate whether each statement is true or false. Statement True False Firms raise capital from retained earnings only when they cannot issue new common stock due to market conditions outside of their control. In general, firms are reluctant to issue new common stock to raise additional financial capital due to the magnitude of the flotation costs and the negative signals sent to the marketplace. The flotation costs associated with the sale of debt securities are greater than those associated with new common stock issues.

Answer 1

a. False

b. True

c. False

Step-by-step explanation:

a. This is false because firms generally prefer to raise funds from Retained Earnings first before thinking of issuing shares. It is also up to them which method they want to use be it by stock issuance or by Retained Earnings but they usually gravitate towards retained earnings first.

b. Issuing new stock can have the effect of signalling to the market that you are cash strapped and this is not a good thing most times. It can lead to some investors losing faith in the company. Also the floatation costs associated will make the cost of raising funds via stock issuance higher so this is avoided and usually used in desperation.

c. The floatation costs associated with issuing New Stock are more than the ones associated with issuing debt securities. This is because New Stock issuance is bound by more stringent legal requirements and procedures that will require more costs to get through than debt issuance.