巴菲特:当然,杠杆可能也会对企业造成致命打击。负债累累的公司往往认为,这些债务到期之后还能续贷。这种假设通常是有效的。但偶尔有一些时候,由于公司自身问题或全球信贷短缺,到期债务必须通过支付来偿还。此时,只有现金才能解决问题。
然后,借款人就会明白,信用就像氧气。此二者,但凡在充足的时候,我们不会注意到它的存在。当它们缺失时,我们才会注意到。即使信贷短暂缺失,也会使公司陷入困境。事实上,2008年9月,许多经济部门的信用在一夜之间消失,险些使整个国家陷入困境。(巴菲特 2010年)
原文:Leverage, of course, can be lethal to businesses as well. Companies with large debts often assume that these obligations can be refinanced as they mature. That assumption is usually valid. Occasionally, though, either because of company-specific problems or a worldwide shortage of credit, maturities must actually be met by payment. For that, only cash will do the job.
Borrowers then learn that credit is like oxygen. When either is abundant, its presence goes unnoticed. When either is missing, that’s all that is noticed. Even a short absence of credit can bring a company to its knees. In September 2008, in fact, its overnight disappearance in many sectors of the economy came dangerously close to bringing our entire country to its knees.(2010)