Pecking Order
Short definition
Pecking-order says that, because of asymmetric information, the firm uses internal cash first, then debt, and new equity last. It is a hierarchy of adverse-selection cost, not a target D/E.
Detailed explanation
Even if management thinks the share is cheap, the market reads a sale as bad news. Debt is a less dilutive signal; internal cash carries no signal.
In a constrained, high-rate setting the second rung closes; the firm cuts investment or is forced into equity. That is why the theory cannot be read as “debt is always second”.
Why it matters for the CFO
Dividends and capex change with which door is open after internal cash is used. When shareholders ask “why issue?”, asymmetry and constraint are the answer.
How to read it
Observed D/E is the scar of cumulative funding gaps, not a miss versus target. Growth above SGR strains the hierarchy.
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Definitions are educational. They are not investment, credit or tax advice.