Refer to the exhibit.

A business has the following capital and long-term liabilities:
It calculates its gearing ratio as the proportion of debt to total capital.
At the end of the current year, its gearing ratio, compared with that of the previous year, is:
- Higher, resulting in greater risk for shareholders
- Higher, resulting in greater security for shareholders
- Lower, resulting in greater security for shareholders
- The same as the previous year
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