The document discusses financial leverage and how it is calculated. Financial leverage measures the relationship between earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) and earnings per share (EPS). It reflects how a change in EBIT impacts EPS due to the presence of fixed financial charges like interest and dividends. The degree of financial leverage (DFL) is calculated as the percentage change in EPS divided by the percentage change in EBIT. Financial leverage exists when there are fixed financial costs, and is a measure of how much debt a firm uses.