There are many methods for the firm to raise its required funds. But the most basic and important instruments are stocks or bonds. The firm’s mix of different securities is known as its capital structure. A natural question arises: What is the optimal debt-equity ratio? For example, if you need $100 million for a project, should all this money be raised by issuing stocks, or 50% of stocks and 50% of bonds (debt-equity ratio equals 1), or some other ratios?
An appropriate capital structure is a critical decision for any business organization. The decision is important not only because of the need to maximize returns to various organizational constituencies, but also because of the impact such a decision has on an organization’s ability to deal with its competitive environment.
