Understanding liquidity is one of the most important concepts in finance. In this post, I’m going to break down what liquidity is and how you can measure it.
Many people find this topic confusing, but I’m going to make it easy to understand. After reading this post you’ll know exactly what liquidity is and how to measure it. Financial liquidity refers to the ability to convert assets to cash, the fluidity of the market, or the security of a company’s financial position.
The state of liquidity in finance is the degree to which you may sell an asset, interest, or security without affecting the price. High liquidity implies that an asset may be readily converted to cash for a reasonable price or market value. Low liquidity means there are few ways to buy and sell assets, and they become difficult to trade.
Ratio analysis compares a company’s or person’s assets to liabilities for a measure of liquidity. An organization is solvent if its total assets exceed its liabilities, showing that it has enough money left over to pay its obligations and yet continue to operate.
3 Types of Liquidity.
Cash is the most liquid asset since it can be easily and rapidly exchanged without affecting its market value.
Real estate and high art are examples of illiquid assets since, while they are quite valuable, they may be more challenging to sell and change in value with the market.
Market liquidity: Market liquidity refers to the conditions of a market in which an asset can be bought or sold. If market conditions support a high number of buyers and sellers, the market has high liquidity because it is easier to buy or sell your asset at the price you want.
Liquid markets: are financial markets in which there are a low number of buyers and sellers, making it more difficult to sell assets at your desired price. Stock exchanges become less liquid during economic crises.
Accounting liquidity: The ability of a business to pay off financial obligations such as marketable securities, cash, inventory, and accounts receivables is referred to as accounting liquidity. Investors interested in a firm’s stocks investigate the company’s accounting liquidity because it reflects the state of a company’s financial health.
How to Calculate Liquidity.
The term “liquidity ratio” refers to a set of mathematical equations that reveal a company’s or person’s solvency by comparing its assets to liabilities. Here is a quick rundown of three sorts of liquidity ratios.
- Current ratio: Calculating the current ratio of a company or individual is the simplest and most common way of measuring liquidity. The current ratio looks at a company’s total current assets—cash assets and otherwise—against their total current liabilities like debt obligations. The equation for current ratio is: Current ratio = Current Assets / Current Liabilities.
- Quick ratio: The quick ratio is more stringent than the current ratio because it considers significantly liquid assets. The quick ratio includes a company’s cash and cash equivalents, short-term investments, and accounts payable versus its current liabilities in assessing liquidity.
Here is how to calculate a party’s quick ratio: Quick Ratio = (Cash and Cash Equivalents, Accounts Payable, Short-Term Investments) / Current Liabilities. The acid-test ratio is a variation on the quick ratio, subtracting inventories and prepaid costs from current assets.
Here is how to calculate the acid-test ratio: Acid-test Ratio = (Current Assets – Inventories – Pre-paid costs) / Current Liabilities.
Cash ratio: The cash ratio is the most stringent liquidity test since it only considers a firm’s most liquid assets, which are money and liquid equities. Here is how to calculate cash ratio: Cash Ratio = (Cash and Cash Equivalents, Short-Term Investments) / Current Liabilities.
Thanks for reading, share your thoughts in the comments and subscribe for more content. You can also watch our video on understanding liquidity.
