Which term refers to a business's ability to meet its short-term financial obligations?

The correct term for a business's ability to meet its short-term financial obligations is liquidity. Liquidity refers to how easily a company can convert its assets into cash to cover its current liabilities, ensuring that it can pay off debts as they come due. This is crucial for a business's operational stability, as inadequate liquidity can lead to cash flow problems, potentially resulting in insolvency if the company cannot fulfill its short-term financial commitments.

In contrast, solvency relates more to a business's long-term financial health and its ability to meet long-term obligations rather than short-term ones. Equity represents the ownership interest in the company and is not directly tied to the ability to meet immediate financial obligations. Profitability focuses on a company's ability to generate profit relative to its sales or assets, which, while important for overall financial health, does not specifically address the capability to cover short-term liabilities.