Trade Working Capital: Balancing Liquidity And Profitability

Trade working capital refers to the amount of capital that a business needs to fund its day-to-day operations and finance its growth. It is a crucial aspect of a company's financial management, as it determines the firm's ability to balance liquidity and profitability.

Key Points:

• Trade working capital measures liquidity from day-to-day business operations
• It considers only a subset of current assets and current liabilities
• Monitoring TWC can help you identify if your daily operations are generating a profit or not

What Is Trade Working Capital (TWC)?

Trade Working Capital (TWC) is a type of working capital ratio. Working capital ratios measure your company’s liquidity by comparing your business’s current assets and current liabilities.

TWC specifically looks at only the assets and liabilities directly associated with your company’s everyday operations. It ignores some other assets or liabilities, such as the value of marketable securities or accrued taxes.

TWC is a subset of overall working capital and may be seen as a more refined view of overall working capital, offering a better look at a company’s true level of liquidity.

Trade Working Capital Vs Total Working Capital

Here's a table that outlines the differences between trade working capital and total working capital:

What Is The Trade Working Capital Formula? 

The formula for trade working capital is:

(Inventory + Accounts Receivable) - Accounts Payable = Trade Working Capital

Because TWC only considers things directly related to normal business activities, it only considers inventory, receivables, and payables. Assets and liabilities that aren’t directly related to everyday activity, such as marketable securities, taxes, prepaid expenses, and accrued expenses are ignored.

The Main Components Of Trade Working Capital

The main components of trade working capital are as follows:

Inventory: This refers to the goods or products that a business holds in stock for future sales. Inventory is a critical component of trade working capital, as it ties up cash that could be used for other business purposes
Accounts Receivable: This represents the money that a business is owed by its customers for products or services that have been sold but not yet paid for. Accounts receivable can be a significant source of working capital for businesses, but it also carries the risk of bad debt if customers do not pay on time.

Accounts Payable: This refers to the money that a business owes to its suppliers for goods or services that have been purchased but not yet paid for. Accounts payable is an important component of trade working capital, as it allows businesses to delay payment for goods and services, thereby conserving cash for other purposes.

Managing these components effectively is essential to ensure that a business has sufficient trade working capital to finance its operations and grow its business. Strategies for optimizing trade working capital include improving inventory management, accelerating accounts receivable collection, and negotiating favorable payment terms with suppliers.

How Do You Calculate Trade Working Capital?

To calculate trade working capital, you need to add the value of inventory and accounts receivable and then subtract the value of accounts payable. The formula for calculating trade working capital is as follows:

Trade Working Capital = Inventory + Accounts Receivable - Accounts Payable

Here's a brief explanation of each component:

Inventory: This includes the value of all the goods or products that a business holds in stock and plans to sell in the near future.

Accounts Receivable: This represents the total amount of money that a business is owed by its customers for products or services that have been sold but not yet paid for.

Accounts Payable: This represents the total amount of money that a business owes to its suppliers for goods or services that have been purchased but not yet paid for.

Example of Trade Working Capital Calculation

For example, if a business has $50,000 worth of inventory, $20,000 in accounts receivable, and $15,000 in accounts payable, the trade working capital would be calculated as follows:

Trade Working Capital = $50,000 + $20,000 - $15,000 = $55,000

Therefore, the trade working capital of the business is $55,000. This means that the business has sufficient working capital to fund its day-to-day operations and meet short-term financial obligations.

What Does Trade Working Capital Indicate?

Trade Working Capital is a measure of a company’s liquidity. It can help business owners and analysts determine whether a company is able to meet its financial obligations and pay its bills.

A company with positive TWC has sufficient liquidity to pay its current accounts payable. It can expect to sell enough products and receive enough money from customers to cover its bills. The higher a company’s TWC, the more liquid it is, meaning it will find meeting short-term needs easy.

A low or negative TWC can indicate problems with cash flow. If a company has more in accounts payable than it does in receivables or inventory, it will need to find other sources of funds to pay its bills. For example, the company might need to get a loan, which will increase its costs.

Why Is Trade Working Capital Important?

Trade working capital is important because you need adequate liquidity to pay your bills. Without that liquidity, you’ll have to get a loan, which costs money.

What makes TWC uniquely important is that it strips away assets and liabilities that aren’t related to the company’s day-to-day activities.

For example, if your business bought some stocks that have gone up in value, it may have a significant level of current assets, making its working capital positive. However, at the same time, TWC could be negative if the business isn’t doing well at selling inventory and making money. It provides more insight into whether the core of the company is performing well.

The Importance Of Trade Working Capital For Import-Export Businesses

Trade working capital is especially important for import-export businesses as they often face unique challenges related to managing their cash flow and financing their operations. Here are some reasons why trade working capital is crucial for import-export businesses:

Managing Inventory: Import-export businesses often need to purchase inventory in bulk to ensure that they can meet customer demand. However, this requires significant upfront investment, which can tie up cash and impact working capital. Trade working capital can help businesses manage their inventory levels and ensure that they have sufficient stock on hand to meet customer demand without compromising cash flow.

Managing Payment Terms: Import-export businesses typically have to manage complex payment terms with their suppliers and customers, which can impact cash flow. For example, they may need to pay for goods upfront but wait for payment from customers for an extended period. Trade working capital can help businesses manage these payment terms and ensure that they have sufficient cash flow to meet their financial obligations.

Responding to Market Fluctuations: Import-export businesses are often exposed to changes in the global market, such as fluctuations in exchange rates and changes in demand for certain products. Having sufficient trade working capital can help businesses respond to these fluctuations by allowing them to adjust their inventory levels, negotiate better payment terms, and invest in new markets or products.

Maintaining Financial Stability: Import-export businesses often operate in volatile markets and face a range of financial risks, such as bad debt and currency fluctuations. Trade working capital can help businesses maintain financial stability and reduce their exposure to financial risks by providing a cushion of cash that can be used to cover unexpected expenses or losses.

How To Increase Trade Working Capital

Trade working capital involves three factors: inventory, accounts receivable, and accounts payable. That means manipulating those factors will impact your TWC.

One way to increase TWC is to shorten your operating cycle. The less time it takes to turn inventory into accounts receivable, and back into inventory to sell, the more you’ll have in the way of current assets.

You can also improve TWC by making sure to run credit checks on your customers. If you reduce the number of invoices you send that never get paid, that can help with your liquidity.

Reducing your expenses will also help boost TWC. The less you spend, the less you’ll have in accounts receivable, meaning you’ll have fewer current liabilities to drag your TWC down.

Trade Working Capital Management Strategies For Small Businesses And Startups

If you run a small business, use these strategies to improve your TWC management.

Optimize your cash conversion cycle: The less time it takes to turn your inventory into cash, the more liquid your business will be. If it only takes a week to sell inventory and get paid, you can rely on inventory to pay the bills. If it takes months, you need cash on hand to pay the bills and can’t rely on quick sales to make up shortfalls.

Utilize trade finance tools: In the short term, you can get an invoice loan or use invoice factoring to get paid for outstanding invoices and get quick cash. Also, consider taking longer to pay your accounts payable to keep cash on hand longer.

Monitor and manage your working capital metrics closely: Keep an eye on metrics like days sales outstanding (DSO) and days payable outstanding (DPO). The shorter your DSO, the faster you get paid. If DSO starts to rise, that can be a warning sign. Keep your DPO stable too, but make sure to pay your invoices on time.

Consider implementing automation: Managing your company’s money can be complicated and collecting on invoices takes time and effort. Automate as much of the process as possible to keep costs low and reduce the number of things that fall through the cracks.

Develop relationships with suppliers and customers: You want to have a relationship with your supplies and customers that involves collaboration and working together rather than working against one another. This can give you some flexibility that can make managing your cash easier.

For example, you could negotiate a discount for early invoice payment or ask a supplier for a few extra days to pay the bills.

Financing Options For Trade Working Capital

If you’re low on trade working capital, you might want to consider a loan to pay the bills. These are some of your options.

Trade finance solutions: These include invoice factoring and purchase order financing. Invoice factoring involves a lender buying your unpaid invoices from you at a discount so you get paid a bit less but get immediate cash. Purchase order financing lets you borrow money to buy inventory or supplies.

Business lines of credit: A business line of credit gives you the flexibility to borrow money multiple times on an as-needed basis. They’re ideal for companies that may face short-term financing needs and that don’t want to commit to larger loans.

Working capital loans: Working capital loans are short-term loans used for immediate expenses such as payroll, rent, or inventory purchases.

Small business loans: These loans are typically longer-term loans are usually intended for larger purchases, such as expansion or buying new equipment. You can get these loans from banks, credit unions, or online lenders.

Invoice financing: Invoice financing lets you get short-term loans using your unpaid invoices as collateral. Unlike factoring, where the lender buys your invoices at a discount, these loans rely on traditional interest rates and fees with a set payment schedule.

The Role Of Inventory In Trade Working Capital Management

Inventory is a critical component of trade working capital management, as it directly impacts a business's liquidity and profitability. Here are some key roles that inventory plays in trade working capital management:

Tying Up Cash: Inventory ties up cash that could be used for other business purposes, such as investing in new products or expanding operations. Managing inventory levels effectively can help businesses free up cash and improve their working capital position.

Managing Demand: Inventory management is crucial for businesses to meet customer demand and ensure that they have sufficient stock on hand to fulfill orders. However, carrying too much inventory can result in excess costs and tie up cash, while carrying too little can lead to stockouts and lost sales.

Managing Lead Times: Import-export businesses often need to manage complex supply chains with long lead times, which can impact inventory levels and cash flow. Effective inventory management can help businesses balance lead times and ensure that they have sufficient inventory on hand to meet demand without tying up cash unnecessarily.

Reducing Risk: Inventory management is also important for reducing risk and minimizing the impact of disruptions in the supply chain. By having sufficient inventory on hand, businesses can reduce the risk of stockouts and ensure that they can continue to fulfil customer orders even in the event of unexpected disruptions.

Inventory plays a critical role in trade working capital management, impacting a business's liquidity, profitability, and risk exposure. Effective inventory management can help businesses optimize their working capital position, balance demand and supply, and maintain financial stability in a complex and dynamic global marketplace.

The Importance Of Cash Flow In Trade Working Capital

Cash flow is a critical component of trade working capital management, as it impacts a business's ability to finance its operations, meet financial obligations, and invest in growth opportunities. Here are some key reasons why cash flow is important in trade working capital management:

Financing Operations: Cash flow is essential for financing a business's day-to-day operations, including purchasing inventory, paying suppliers, and covering overhead expenses. Insufficient cash flow can result in missed payments, delayed orders, and a negative impact on the business's reputation and relationships with suppliers and customers.

Meeting Financial Obligations: Trade working capital also includes the management of accounts payable and receivable. Effective cash flow management can help businesses meet their financial obligations on time, maintain good credit standing, and avoid costly late payment fees or penalties.

Investing in Growth Opportunities: Cash flow also plays a critical role in supporting a business's growth and expansion. By generating sufficient cash flow, businesses can invest in new markets, products, and technologies that can help them improve their competitive position and profitability.

Managing Risk: Effective cash flow management can also help businesses manage financial risk and reduce exposure to external market forces, such as interest rate fluctuations, exchange rate fluctuations, and economic downturns.

Cash flow is a critical component of trade working capital management, impacting a business's ability to finance its operations, meet financial obligations, and invest in growth opportunities. By managing cash flow effectively, businesses can optimize their working capital position, maintain financial stability, and achieve long-term success in a complex and dynamic global marketplace.

Key Performance Indicators For Measuring Trade Working Capital Efficiency

Measuring trade working capital efficiency is important for understanding how effectively a business is managing its liquidity and profitability. Here are some key performance indicators (KPIs) that businesses can use to measure their trade working capital efficiency:

Days Sales Outstanding (DSO): DSO measures the average number of days it takes for a business to collect payment from its customers. A lower DSO indicates that a business is collecting payments more quickly, which can improve its cash flow and working capital position.

Days Inventory Outstanding (DIO): DIO measures the average number of days it takes for a business to sell its inventory. A lower DIO indicates that a business is selling its inventory more quickly, which can free up cash and improve its working capital position.

Days Payable Outstanding (DPO): DPO measures the average number of days it takes for a business to pay its suppliers. A higher DPO indicates that a business is taking longer to pay its suppliers, which can improve its cash flow and working capital position.

Cash Conversion Cycle (CCC): CCC measures the time it takes for a business to convert its investments in inventory and accounts receivable into cash. A shorter CCC indicates that a business is converting its investments into cash more quickly, which can improve its working capital efficiency.

Gross Margin Return on Investment (GMROI): GMROI measures the return on investment (ROI) a business earns from its inventory. A higher GMROI indicates that a business is generating more profit from its inventory investments, which can improve its profitability and working capital efficiency.

Current Ratio: Current ratio measures a business's ability to meet its short-term financial obligations. A higher current ratio indicates that a business has sufficient current assets to cover its current liabilities, which can improve its liquidity and working capital position.

By tracking these key performance indicators, businesses can gain insights into their trade working capital efficiency and identify areas for improvement. This can help them optimize their liquidity and profitability, maintain financial stability, and achieve long-term success in a competitive and dynamic global marketplace.

Final Words

In conclusion, managing trade working capital is essential for any business looking to balance liquidity and profitability. It involves finding the right balance between having enough working capital to fund the company's daily operations while ensuring that the company is profitable. By implementing effective trade working capital management strategies, companies can maximize their cash flow and profits while minimizing their financial risk.