Which of the following is/are false regarding capital structure theory as stated by Miller and Modigliani? 1) If agency costs are considered, the expected agency costs increases as the debt-equity ratio decreases. 2) With the given assumptions, there is no optimal capital structure. 3) In the presence of taxes, the market value of the firm decreases by the tax shield of debt

Answer: Option D

The Modigliani-Miller theorem (M&M) states that the market value of a company is calculated using its earning power and the risk of its underlying assets and is independent of the way it finances investments or distributes dividends. There are three methods a firm can choose to finance: borrowing, spending profits (versus handing them out to shareholders in the form of dividends), and straight issuance of shares. While complicated, the theorem in its simplest form is based on the idea that with certain assumptions in place, there is no difference between a firm financing itself with debt or equity.