Although using short-term credit is generally riskier than using long-term credit, short-term credit does have some significant advantages. A short-term loan can be obtained much faster than long-term credit. Lenders insist on a more thorough financial examination before extending long-term credit. If a firm’s needs for funds are seasonal or cyclical, it may not want to commit to long-term debt because: (1) flotation costs are generally high for long-term debt but trivial for short-term debt; (2) prepayment penalties with long-term debt can be expensive. Short-term debt provides flexibility; (3) long-term loan agreements contain provisions that constrain a firm’s future actions. Short-term credit agreements are less onerous; (4) the yield curve is normally upward sloping, indicating that interest rates are generally lower on short-term than on long-term debt.
Even though short-term debt is often less expensive than long-term debt, short-term debt subjects the firm to more risk than long-term financing. The reasons for this are: (1) if a firm uses long-term debt, its interest costs will be relatively stable over time; however, if the firm uses short-term debt, its interest expense will fluctuate widely. (2) if a firm borrows heavily on a short-term basis, it may find itself unable to repay this debt, and it may be in such a weak financial position that the lender will not extend the loan, which could force the firm into bankruptcy.