Cash flow is the movement of money in and out of a business or individual’s accounts over a given period.
It measures the amount of money that flows into and out of a business, indicating how much money the company has on hand to pay its debts, cover expenses, and make investments.
Cash flow can be classified into three categories: operating cash flow, investing cash flow, and financing cash flow.
Operating cash flow refers to the cash generated or used in the ordinary course of business, such as revenue received from sales, payment for expenses, and collections from customers.
Investing cash flow reflects the cash used or generated by investments, such as the purchase or sale of assets, and the payment or receipt of dividends.
Financing cash flow refers to cash used or generated by the company’s financing activities, such as the payment of debt, issuance of stock, or payment of dividends.
A positive cash flow means that more money is coming into the business than is leaving, which indicates that the company has sufficient funds to cover expenses and invest in growth opportunities.
A negative cash flow, on the other hand, means that the business is spending more money than it is generating, which can indicate that the company is struggling to cover expenses or may need to seek additional funding.