Is there any conflict between profitability and liquidity?

Asked by: Dameon Durgan IV  |  Last update: May 4, 2025
Score: 4.9/5 (66 votes)

As liquidity and profitability are inversely related to each other, hence increasing profitability would tend to reduce firms' liquidity and too much attention on liquidity would tend to affect the profitability.

What is the conflict between liquidity and profitability?

Too much attention on liquidity would tend to affect the profitability if banks are keeping much of cash reserves greater than that amount required. Bank will miss opportunities of providing the finance, lending and investment which is generating revenue.

How is liquidity related to profitability?

According to this premises we can expect that a company that have a low level of liquidity, will see on the medium run a deterioration of its profitability, and on the same way a company with a low profitability will have its profits reduced over the medium term.

What is the dilemma of liquidity and profitability?

Liquid assets are less profitable as compared to long term assets. The dilemma to a finance manager is whether to invest in more profitable long term assets and risk low liquidity or invest in short term assets which are less profitable and therefore reduce return on investment made.

Can a profitable company have a liquidity problem?

A profitable company can still face a liquidity problem. Profitability and liquidity are two separate aspects of a company's financial health. Profitability measures a company's ability to generate profits from its operations.

LIQUIDITY AND PROFITABILITY IN BUSINESS // HOW TO DIFFERENTIATE BETWEEN THEM

24 related questions found

Can a company be profitable but not liquid?

Answer and Explanation: Yes, a company can be profitable but not liquid because of the accrual basis of accounting. In the case of accrued income, prepaid expense, credit sales, etc., there can be a shortage of liquidity. If a company made credit sales then debtors would increase which will make the cash flow negative.

What is the relationship between liquidity and profitability of a commercial bank?

A firm will not be able to fulfill its immediate obligations when it is making low profits due to the high liquidity that it gains. This will mean that funds are held in non-liquid assets and could not be used for productive activities, hence lowering the profitability.

Why profitability and liquidity are inversely related?

To increase profit, a firm need to forgo liquidity which might damage the firm's goodwill, deteriorate firm's credit standings and that might lead to forced liquidation of firm's assets and excessive liquidity on the other hand indicates the accumulation of idle funds that don't fetch any profits for the firm.

What is more important for a business liquidity or profitability?

While profitability shows that a company can make money from its operations, liquidity ensures it can pay bills and access enough cash when needed. Strong liquidity and profitability together contribute to long-term viability. Companies need profits to sustain operations and grow.

Why is liquidity a problem?

As institutions quickly try to sell assets or secure additional financing, liquidity becomes scarce, driving up interest rates and spreading financial instability. This event can spread through the economy, affecting businesses, employees, and overall financial stability.

What leads to higher liquidity and higher profitability?

Working capital affects both the liquidity as well as the profitability of a business. As the amount of working capital increases the liquidity of the business increases. However, since current assets offer low returns with the increase in working capital the profitability of the business falls.

What is a good liquidity ratio?

Generally, a good Liquidity Ratio should be above 1.0. This indicates the company has enough current assets to cover its short-term liabilities.

What is the trade off between liquidity and profitability?

In other words, a company need not forego liquidity to earn profit. The key aspect is to draw a balance in terms of the extent to which a company can forego liquidity to earn the desired profit, which is the ultimate trade-off between liquidity and profitability.

How does liquidity affect profitability?

The effect of liquidity on the profitability is to explain the investments or assets of the bank such a means that the bank perhaps capable of paying the rapid liability due upon it without substantial damage. The pre-arrangement of assets will lead toward gain profit.

How do commercial banks reconcile the conflicting objectives of liquidity and profitability?

A bank must balance liquidity and profitability by strategically investing in both liquid and illiquid assets. Liquidity refers to a bank's ability to meet depositors' withdrawal needs by maintaining liquid assets like cash that can be readily converted to cash.

How do you define profitability?

Profitability is a measure of how efficiently a business converts its expenses into profits for its owners.

Are all profitable firms liquid?

In summary, it is absolutely possible for a company can be profitable but not liquid. This situation can arise due to several factors, such as significant investments in long-term assets, high levels of short-term debt, or a high level of inventory that cannot be sold quickly.

Why is cash flow more important than profitability?

Cash flow statements, on the other hand, provide a more straightforward report of the cash available. In other words, a company can appear profitable “on paper” but not have enough actual cash to replenish its inventory or pay its immediate operating expenses such as lease and utilities.

What is the principle of profitability and liquidity?

Profitability enhances the equity reserves and growth prospects of the company. On the other hand, liquidity refers to the ability of the firm to meet short-term and long-term obligations, which the business needs to pay in the long and short run, the current portion of liabilities.

Which is more important liquidity or profitability?

Further, a company may have tremendous potential for profitability in the long-run, but may languish due to inadequate liquidity. It is, therefore, short-term liquidity that has been considered crucial to the very existence of an enterprise.

Why liquidity and profitability are important to a business?

In contrast, liquidity ratios focus on a company's ability to meet its short-term financial obligations promptly. While profitability ratios focus on generating returns and maximizing profits, liquidity ratios prioritize maintaining sufficient liquidity. It's important to understand these are vastly different things.

Which is more important liquidity solvency or profitability?

As a financial analyst or investor, it's important to pay more attention to a company's solvency ratio. While a company may improve its liquidity ratio when it increases profitability, a low solvency ratio may have long-term effects on it and its ability to pay back investors.

Which of liquidity and profitability is more important to the survival of a company?

Liquidity is decisive for short-term solvency. Profit shows the economic success and profitability over a period. Cash flow provides an insight into the actual cash flows and the financial flexibility of a company.

What is the relationship between liquidity and profitability in terms of credit creation?

Liquidity creation enhances bank profitability. Liability-side and off-balance sheet liquidity creation enhance bank profitability. Asset-side liquidity creation reduces bank profitability.

How does liquidity affect a bank's income?

While it is generally agreed upon that banks undervalued liquidity prior to the recent financial crisis, one must also consider the trade- off between resilience to liquidity shocks and the cost of holding lower-yielding liquid assets as the latter may impact banks' ability to generate revenues, increase capital and ...