On the relation between the market-to-book ratio, growth opportunity, and leverage ratio

The negative relation between the market-to-book ratio and leverage ratio is one of the most widely documented empirical regularities in the capital structure literature. Most related studies take this negative relation as given and debate about its economic interpretation. We show that firms with higher market-to-book ratios face lower debt financing costs and borrow more. The relation between the market-to-book ratio and leverage ratio is not monotonic and is positive for most firms (more than 88% of COMPUSTAT firms and more than 95% of total market capitalization). The previously documented negative relation is driven by a subset of firms with high market-to-book ratios.     

Leverage adjustment after mergers and acquisitions

Australian firms have leverage targets. Speeds of adjustment to a target capital structure are higher than previously published estimates when there are major disruptions to firms’ leverage ratios. Firms exploit company‐specific characteristics to achieve these targets. Profitability and cash levels are important drivers of the speeds of adjustment. Firms, which have lower profitability or higher cash levels, appear to adjust faster.     

The influence of firm financial position and industry characteristics on capital structure adjustment

We extend Byoun's (2008) modelling of the relationship between deficits and surpluses and adjustment speed, to demonstrate how industry characteristics identified by Kayo and Kimura (2011), including industry concentration, industry munificence and industry dynamism, impact on speed of adjustment. Using New Zealand firms as a case study, we find significant evidence that, as well as firm financial position, industry characteristics also impact on adjustment speed. The firm financial position results are the most robust, and we recommend further research to confirm the nature of the relationship between industry characteristics and the speed at which firms adjust towards target capital structures.     

The effect of leverage on bargaining with a corporation

This paper shows that the choice of a capital structure by a firm affects the bargaining posture of its shareholders vis-a-vis its suppliers of specialized production factors. The pricing of the firm's securities and the choice of a capital structure are analyzed in light of this effect of debt financing.     

The role of credit ratings on capital structure and its speed of adjustment: an international study

Using an international dataset, we examine the role of issuers’ credit ratings in explaining corporate leverage and the speed with which firms adjust toward their optimal level of leverage. We find that, in countries with a more market-oriented financial system, the impact of credit ratings on firms’ capital structure is more significant and that firms with a poorer credit rating adjust more rapidly. Furthermore, our results show some striking differences in the speed of adjusting capital structure between firms rated as speculative and investment grade, with the former adjusting much more rapidly. As hypothesized, those differences are statistically significant only for firms based in a more market-oriented economy.     

资本市场的制度与绩效

中国资本市场融资主体的资本结构不合理、市场体系缺乏统一性和层次性等制度特征,决定了资本市场行为主体筹资者以圈钱为目的的融资需求膨胀,投资者的投资行为投机化,最终导致中国资本市场资金使用效率低下、企业管理优化动力不足、二级市场价格信息失真。中国资本市场的改造需要一个系统性的目标,打补丁式的资本市场改进方案无助于提高其整体效率。中国资本市场的系统性改造需要一整套互补性制度安排做出保证。     

Gold loans in the Australian gold mining industry: Do gold loans allow gold producers to increase leverage?

This paper tests the hypothesis that gold producers exhibit greater leverage where gold loans are used. As the choice of gold producers and the study period essentially avoids debt tax shield effects, the paper focuses on information asymmetry and agency costs explanations for leverage. Theory suggests hedging can reduce the cost of debt but it has little impact if management is not committed to adopting the promised hedging policy. The implicit hedge in gold loans commits management to hedging and so greater leverage is expected for producers adopting gold loans. Results from the analysis are consistent with this hypothesis.     

A real options approach for evaluating the implementation of a risk-sensitive capital rule in banks

I evaluate a bank's incentives to implement a risk-sensitive regulatory capital rule. The decision making is analyzed within a real options framework where optimal policies are derived in terms of threshold levels of credit risk. I provide a numerical example for the implementation of internal ratings based models for credit risk (the IRB approach) under the new Basel Accord (Basel II).     

Informational leverage: the problem of noise traders

The literature suggests that security design can be used to manipulate the information content of securities prices [what is referred to as the “informational leverage effect” in Boot and Thakor (J Finance 48, 1349–1378, 1993)]. The informational leverage effect arises in this literature in a market microstructure environment in which noise trade is exogenous, which is a fairly standard assumption dating back to the framework developed in Grossman and Stiglitz (Am Econ Rev 70, 393–408, 1980). This assumption is relaxed in our paper, and we show that the informational effects described in the related literature become less clear cut when noise trading activity is endogenous. We find that the intensity and direction of these effects depends crucially on the parameters describing the modeling environment. The elegant point of the informational leverage literature is that these effects arise largely independently of such parameters, but with endogenous noise trading that is no longer true. This literature may, therefore, lead to too strong conclusions being drawn about the relationship between information revelation and security design. We are very grateful for the helpful comments made by an anonymous referee.     

The cost of capital and optimal financing policy in a dynamic setting

This paper revisits the Modigliani–Miller propositions on the optimal financing policy and cost of capital in a dynamic setting. In an environment without taxes and bankruptcy costs, the results are generally consistent with the Modigliani–Miller Propositions 1 and 2. However, the first proposition should be presented and interpreted more carefully, as given firm characteristics, there is only one optimal capital structure. Thus, a firm’s capital structure is relevant. A relaxation of assumptions about either taxes or bankruptcy costs leads to conclusions that are generally different from those in Modigliani and Miller (1958). The model predicts that leverage and sales-to-capital ratios decrease but firm size and capital stock increase with the subjective discount factor of the firm’s manager if there are taxes and bankruptcy costs. The empirical analysis supports these predictions.     

Market timing and the debt–equity choice

We test the market timing theory of capital structure using an earnings-based valuation model that allows us to separate equity mispricing from growth options and time-varying adverse selection; thus avoiding the multiple interpretations of book-to-market ratio. We find that equity market mispricing plays a significant, if not dominant, role in the security choice decision. Our results are robust to the inclusion of proxies for time-varying growth options and alternate methods of measuring misvaluation.     

Private benefits of control and firm leverage: An analysis of Korean firms

This paper investigates the leverage choices of an entrenched controlling party. If debt effectively curbs the private benefits of control, the controlling shareholder is given incentives to avoid debt. Using estimates of the private benefits of control and financial statement data from selected Korean firms, we find that a controlling party with large private benefits tends to lower debt. This relationship was concentrated after the Asian financial crisis. However, before the crisis, firms that affiliated with Korean conglomerates, chaebols, used more debt as private benefits increased. A financial reform program triggered by the crisis seems to have actuated the disciplining role of debt. JEL Classification G32, G34     

越南资本市场发展探析

过去十年间,在越南经济改革开放的推动下,越南建立了以银行信贷市场为主、股票市场和债券市场为辅的越南资本市场。本文将对越南资本市场发展情况进行研究、分析其未来政策走向等。     

IPO市场时机选择与资本结构关系研究——基于中国上市公司面板数据的实证研究

本文以沪深全部上市公司1990～2004年的IPO面板数据,运用多元回归的方法,研究市场时机行为对资本结构的影响及其持续性。研究发现,我国股市明显存在市场时机选择行为,并且对上市公司的资本结构影响显著;公司的历史估值和杠杆水平之间具有显著的负相关性,历史估值每上升一个单位,将引起账面杠杆和市值杠杆分别下降4.87和2.9个单位;进一步研究表明,中国上市公司市场时机对资本结构的影响,可以持续5～8年。     

企业集团内部资本市场对其成员企业融资约束的影响——来自中国企业集团的经验证据

本文验证在中国特殊的制度环境下,企业集团内部资本市场对成员企业融资约束的影响。我们发现,企业集团通过内部资本配置,能够放松成员企业所面临的融资约束。国有集团的内部资本市场放松融资约束的功能得到了很好的发挥:内部资本市场规模小、成长速度快、控制权和现金流权分离程度小的民营集团的成员企业,其所面临的融资约束比较大。在市场化程度较高的省份(或地区),企业集团内部资本市场具有放松融资约束的功能,其成员企业所面临的融资约束小。集团内部资本市场没有放松控制权与现金流权分离程度大的集团成员企业所面临的融资约束。     

Financing Preferences of Spanish Firms: Evidence on the Pecking Order Theory

This paper analyses some of the empirical implications of the pecking order theory in the Spanish market using a panel data analysis of 1,566 firms over 1994–2000. The results show that the pecking order theory holds for most subsamples analyzed, particularly for the small and medium-sized enterprises and for the high-growth and highly leveraged companies. It is also shown that both the more and the less leveraged firms tend to converge towards more balanced capital structures. Finally, we observe that firms finance their funds flow deficits with long term debt.