Quantity of finance and financial crisis: A non-monotonic investigation☆

Whether finance is beneficial to economic development remains ambiguous. There are studies arguing that finance can facilitate growth and increase stability. However, the recent global financial crisis has led some to argue that finance can decrease stability and lead to more crises. This paper constructs a non-monotonic framework of quantity of finance (measured by leverage) and financial crisis and decomposes leverage into fundamental and excess components. Using cross-country level data, the empirical results confirms that it is excess leverage, rather than fundamental leverage, that results in the increase of probability of financial crisis. Further empirical results show that excess leverage leads to a higher probability of currency crisis, asset price collapse, and banking crisis, while fundamental leverage helps alleviates the crises. This paper reconciles the two contrasting views of the relationship between finance and economic development and provides strong policy implication to pay special attention to the sudden increase of leverage, which is probably excessive, rather than fundamental leverage.     

Systematic mistakes in the mortgage market and lack of financial sophistication

Institutions often offer a menu of contracts to consumers in an attempt to create a separating equilibrium that reveals borrower types and provides better pricing. We test the effectiveness of a specific set of contracts in the mortgage market: mortgage points. Points allow borrowers to exchange an upfront amount for a decrease in the mortgage rate. We document that, on average, points takers lose about $700. Also, points takers are less financially savvy (less educated, older), and they make mistakes on other dimensions (e.g., inefficiently refinancing their mortgages). Overall, our results show that borrowers overestimate how long they will stay with the mortgage.     

控股股东和财务杠杆的激励功能

以上海证券交易所的747家上市公司2003年的横截面数据为样本,检验了财务杠杆与公司价值之间的经验关系,考察了控股股东性质对财务杠杆价值效应的影响.结果发现,财务杠杆对公司价值(成长性)具有显著的积极效应;另外,控股股东性质对财务杠杆的价值效应和激励功能具有显著的影响,财务杠杆在法人控股的公司中能够发挥更有效的激励作用.     

Why do banks choose to finance with equity?

A majority of U.S. banks between 1973 and 2012 held equity capital significantly beyond the required minimum. We study the risk-return tradeoff in connection with a bank’s capital structure, and identify several new significant market factors that drive the level of equity capital in banks. During normal growth periods, bank leverage is negatively related to a level of competition and loan portfolio diversification, while high bank leverage is associated with low past liquidity. During recessions and expansions, the roles of those factors change following distortions in risk-return tradeoff. In distress, when banks approach regulatory capital requirements, market determinants of book leverage lose their significance; however, leverage does not decrease until a bank is within 1% of the minimal capital threshold.     

西部地区上市公司债务融资效应的实证研究——基于2007-2010年的经验数据

本文选取沪市西部地区53家上市公司作为研究样本,着重研究债务融资的税盾效应与财务杠杆效应。基于样本公司的债务融资现状,通过因子分析、主成分分析与多元回归分析揭示了债务融资效应与各影响因素之间的关联程度及显著水平。结论表明,当总资产息税前利润率大于债务利息率时,提高资产负债率,税盾效应、财务杠杆效应同时增大,进而增强债务融资效应;当总资产息税前利润率小于债务利息率时,提高资产负债率,税盾效应增大,财务杠杆表现为负效应,债务融资效应呈现不确定性。