Free Cash Flow is cash generated from operations, minus the capital expenditure needed to maintain and grow the business. It's arguably more honest than reported 'profit,' because accounting profit can include non-cash items or be affected by accounting choices, while FCF is closer to real money actually available to the company. Positive, growing FCF means a business can fund its own growth, pay dividends, or buy back shares without needing to borrow or raise new capital. Negative FCF isn't always bad — a company in a heavy growth/investment phase (like DMart opening hundreds of new stores) can run negative FCF for a while on purpose, as long as that investment is expected to pay off.