Which ratios would a potential long-term bond investor be most interested in? Explain.

Current and potential lenders of long-term funds, such as banks and bondholders, are interested in debt ratios.  When a business's debt ratios increase significantly, bondholder and lender risk increases because more creditors compete for that firm's resources if the company runs into financial trouble

The debt ratio compares a company's total debt to its total assets, which is used to gain a general idea as to the amount of leverage being used by a company. A low percentage means that the company is less dependent on leverage, i.e., money borrowed from and/or owed to others. The lower the percentage, the less leverage a company is using and the stronger its equity position. In general, the higher the ratio, the more risk that company is considered to have taken on.Formula: Debt Ratio =  Total liabilities / total assets