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158
Macroeconomic conditions and the puzzles of credit spreads and capital structure
, 2008
"... Investors demand high risk premia for defaultable claims, because (i) defaults tend to concentrate in bad times when marginal utility is high; (ii) default losses are high during such times. I build a structural model of financing and default decisions in an economy with business-cycle variations in ..."
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Cited by 106 (13 self)
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Investors demand high risk premia for defaultable claims, because (i) defaults tend to concentrate in bad times when marginal utility is high; (ii) default losses are high during such times. I build a structural model of financing and default decisions in an economy with business-cycle variations in expected growth rates and volatility, which endogenously generate countercyclical comovements in risk prices, default probabilities, and default losses. Credit risk premia in the calibrated model not only can quantitatively account for the high corporate bond yield spreads and low leverage ratios in the data, but have rich implications for firms’ financing decisions.
A Gap-filling Theory of Corporate Debt Maturity Choice
"... We argue that time variation in the maturity of corporate debt arises because firms behave as macro liquidity providers, absorbing the supply shocks associated with changes in the maturity structure of government debt. We document that when the government funds itself with more short-term debt, firm ..."
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Cited by 54 (12 self)
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We argue that time variation in the maturity of corporate debt arises because firms behave as macro liquidity providers, absorbing the supply shocks associated with changes in the maturity structure of government debt. We document that when the government funds itself with more short-term debt, firms fill the resulting gap by issuing more long-term debt, and vice-versa. This type of liquidity provision is undertaken more aggressively: i) when the ratio of government debt to total debt is higher; and ii) by firms with stronger balance sheets. Our theory sheds new light on market timing phenomena in corporate finance more generally.
The value of financial flexibility
- Journal of Finance
, 2008
"... ABSTRACT We develop a model that endogenizes dynamic financing, investment, and cash retention/payout policies in order to analyze the effect of financial flexibility on firm value. We show that the value of financing flexibility depends on the costs of external financing, the level of corporate an ..."
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Cited by 42 (1 self)
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ABSTRACT We develop a model that endogenizes dynamic financing, investment, and cash retention/payout policies in order to analyze the effect of financial flexibility on firm value. We show that the value of financing flexibility depends on the costs of external financing, the level of corporate and personal tax rates which determine the effective cost of holding cash, the firm's growth potential and its maturity, and the reversibility of capital. Through simulations, we demonstrate that firms that face financing frictions should simultaneously borrow and lend, and we examine the nature of the dynamic debt and liquidity policies and the value associated with corporate liquidity.
Can the trade-off theory explain debt structure
, 2007
"... We examine the optimal mixture and priority structure of bank and market debt using a trade-off model in which banks have the unique ability to renegotiate outside formal bankruptcy. Flexible bank debt offers a superior trade-off between tax shields and bankruptcy costs. Ease of renegotiation limits ..."
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Cited by 35 (5 self)
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We examine the optimal mixture and priority structure of bank and market debt using a trade-off model in which banks have the unique ability to renegotiate outside formal bankruptcy. Flexible bank debt offers a superior trade-off between tax shields and bankruptcy costs. Ease of renegotiation limits bank debt capacity, however. Optimal debt structure hinges upon which party has bargaining power in private workouts. Weak firms have high bank debt capacity and utilize bank debt exclusively. Strong firms lever up to their (lower) bank debt capacity, augment with market debt, and place the bank senior. Therefore, the trade-off theory offers an explanation for: (i) why young/small firms use bank debt exclusively; (ii) why large/mature firms employ mixed debt financing; and (iii) why bank debt is senior. The trade-off theory also generates predictions consistent with international evidence. In countries in which the bankruptcy regime entails soft (tough) enforcement of contractual priority, bank debt capacity is low (high), implying greater (less) reliance on market debt. (JELG13, G32, G33) Existing trade-off models analyze the optimal amount of debt, but provide
Cross-country variations in capital structures: The role of bankruptcy codes
- Journal of Financial Intermediation
, 2011
"... detailed comments and suggestions. We also had the benefit of feedback from participants at a number ..."
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Cited by 33 (2 self)
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detailed comments and suggestions. We also had the benefit of feedback from participants at a number
Capital Structure Dynamics and Transitory Debt
- Journal of Financial Economics
"... This paper develops a model in the spirit of Hennessy and Whited (2005) in which the capital structure dynamics associated with transitory debt fully explain the long-horizon leverage paths documented by Lemmon, Roberts, and Zender (2008). The model shows how and why debt serves as a transitory fina ..."
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Cited by 33 (5 self)
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This paper develops a model in the spirit of Hennessy and Whited (2005) in which the capital structure dynamics associated with transitory debt fully explain the long-horizon leverage paths documented by Lemmon, Roberts, and Zender (2008). The model shows how and why debt serves as a transitory financing vehicle to meet the funding needs associated with random shocks to investment opportunities. It yields a variety of new testable predictions about the time paths of leverage and the link between investment and capital structure dynamics. Although these dynamics also reflect financing frictions, predictable variation in capital structure primarily reflects the attributes of firms ’ investment opportunities–e.g., the volatility and serial correlation of investment shocks, the marginal profitability of investment, and the nature of capital stock adjustment costs–with the linkage between investment attributes and leverage dynamics reflecting firms ’ usage of transitory debt.
Target Behavior and Financing: How Conclusive is the Evidence?
"... The notion that firms have a debt ratio target which is a primary determinant of financing behavior is influential in finance. Yet, how definitive is the evidence? We address this issue by generating samples where financing is unrelated to a firm’s current debt ratio or a target. We find that much o ..."
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Cited by 28 (1 self)
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The notion that firms have a debt ratio target which is a primary determinant of financing behavior is influential in finance. Yet, how definitive is the evidence? We address this issue by generating samples where financing is unrelated to a firm’s current debt ratio or a target. We find that much of the available evidence in favor of target behavior based on leverage ratio changes can be reproduced for these samples. Taken together, our findings suggest that a number of existing tests of target behavior have no power to reject alternatives.
Human Capital, Bankruptcy and Capital Structure
, 2005
"... In a setting where firms can choose their capital structures, we derive the optimal compensation contract for employees who are averse to bearing their own human capital risk, while equity holders can diversify this risk away. In the absence of other frictions, the optimal contract implies that all ..."
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Cited by 24 (2 self)
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In a setting where firms can choose their capital structures, we derive the optimal compensation contract for employees who are averse to bearing their own human capital risk, while equity holders can diversify this risk away. In the absence of other frictions, the optimal contract implies that all firms will be unlevered, and instead will hold cash. In the presence of corporate taxes, the optimal contract implies optimal debt levels consistent with those observed, implying that the importance of human capital risk is comparable to that of taxes in the capital structure decision. Our model makes a number of predictions for the cross-sectional distribution of firm leverage. Consistent with existing empirical evidence, it implies the existence of persistent unexplained idiosyncratic differences in leverage across firms. It also predicts that, ceteris paribus, firms with more leverage should pay higher wages, an as yet unexplored empirical implication of the model. JEL classification: G14.
