What financial metric might indicate that a company is cash-flow negative despite having positive EBITDA?

• A. High interest expenses
• B. Low capital expenditures
• C. Increased revenue
• D. High retained earnings

Answer: (A)

The correct answer highlights the significance of high interest expenses as a financial metric that can indicate a company is cash-flow negative, even when it reports positive EBITDA.

EBITDA stands for Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortization, and it provides a measure of a company’s operational profitability. However, EBITDA does not account for all cash outflows, particularly interest expenses, which can be substantial if a company has significant debt. If interest expenses are high, they can consume a large portion of the company's cash flows, potentially leading to a situation where the company has to spend more on servicing its debt than it generates from its operations, resulting in cash-flow negativity.

While the other options may have implications for a company's overall financial health, they do not directly correlate with the situation described in the question. Low capital expenditures, for instance, might suggest that the company is not investing in growth but does not inherently lead to cash-flow negativity. Increased revenue can improve cash flow, not imply negativity, and high retained earnings reflect historical profitability rather than current cash flow status. Therefore, high interest expenses are the most relevant metric in understanding why a company could be cash-flow negative despite having positive EBITDA.