The inability of a business to meet its fixed financial obligations, like payment of interest, is known as:

Financial risk

The correct answer is option 2- Financial risk.

The inability of a business to meet its fixed financial obligations, like payment of interest, is known as Financial risk.

Financing decision is about the quantum of finance to be raised from various long-term sources. Short-term sources are studied under the ‘working capital management’. It involves identification of various available sources. The main sources of funds for a firm are shareholders’ funds and borrowed funds. The shareholders’ funds refer to the equity capital and the retained earnings. Borrowed funds refer to the finance raised through debentures or other forms of debt. A firm has to decide the proportion of funds to be raised from either sources, based on their basic characteristics. Interest on borrowed funds have to be paid regardless of whether or not a firm has earned a profit. Likewise, the borrowed funds have to be repaid at a fixed time. The risk of default on payment is known as financial risk which has to be considered by a firm likely to have insufficient shareholders to make these fixed payments. Shareholders’ funds, on the other hand, involve no commitment regarding the payment of returns or the repayment of capital. A firm, therefore, needs to have a judicious mix of both debt and equity in making financing decisions, which may be debt, equity, preference share capital, and retained earnings.