Development costs capitalization and debt financing

This study investigates debt market effects of research and development (R&D) costs capitalization, using a global sample of public bonds and private syndicated loans issued by public non‐financial firms. Firstly, we show that firms capitalize larger amounts of R&D in a year when they exhibit a propensity for issuing bonds, rather than borrowing funds privately from the syndicated loan market, in the subsequent year. Secondly, we provide evidence that capitalized R&D investments reduce the cost of debt. We infer that debt market participants are able to identify firms’ motives for R&D capitalization, as we find a reduction in the cost of debt only for those firms that do not show indications of employing R&D capitalization for earnings management reasons. Indeed, only for this sub‐sample of firms, the amount of capitalized R&D contributes positively to future earnings. We confirm that R&D capitalization is positively associated with audit fees and thus can be deemed to be a signaling device. Lastly, we find that it is the amount of R&D a firm is expected to capitalize and not the discretionary counterparts, which facilitates a firm's access to public debt markets, reduces bond and syndicated loan prices, and contributes to future benefits.     

Determinants of the corporate decision to capitalize interest

Until 1974, firms could choose, within GAAP, to capitalize or expense interest costs associated with capital expenditures. The predominant practice had been to treat interest as a period expense. However, in 1974, the Securities and Exchange Commission imposed a moratorium on further adoption of interest capitalization by non-regulated firms. This study empirically examines economic factors potentially influencing firms' decisions to expense or capitalize interest prior to the SEC moratorium. We hypothesize that the choice may be affected by (1) the existence of management compensation agreements tied to reported earnings, (2) debt covenant constraints, and (3) the political costs (for some firms) of reporting higher earnings.When compared to the control group, our findings are that (1) the frequency of explicit management compensation packages was not greater for the interest capitalization group, (2) firms with financial ratios closer to likely debt agreement constraints (on dividends, interest coverage, and leverage) tended to elect interest capitalization, and (3) other than the largest firms in the ‘politically sensitive’ petroleum refining industry, the larger firms were more likely to capitalize interest.     

Capitalization of R&D costs and earnings management: Evidence from Italian listed companies

The capitalization of research and development (R&D) costs is a controversial accounting issue because of the contention that such capitalization is motivated by incentives to manipulate earnings. Based on a sample of Italian listed companies, this study examines whether companies' decisions to capitalize R&D costs are affected by earnings-management motivations. Italy provides a natural context for testing our hypothesized relationships because Italian GAAP allows for the capitalization of R&D costs. Using a Tobit regression model to test our hypotheses, we show that companies tend to use cost capitalization for earnings-smoothing purposes. The hypothesis that firms capitalize R&D costs to reduce the risk of violating debt covenants is not supported.     

美国国际投资头寸的规模与结构变迁

20世纪80年代以来,美国的对外债权和对外债务相对快速增长,由于对外债务的增速快于对外债权的增速,形成了庞大的美国国际投资净债务头寸,美国已经由一个对外净债权国演变成一个对外净债务国,而且对外净债务还在急速膨胀。美国政府部门对外净债务是美国对外净债务头寸的主要构成部分,外国政府部门则持有大部分对美国的净债券,正是庞大的美国政府财政赤字造成了美国的对外净债务,也正是外国政府部门持有的外汇储备支撑了美国政府的财政赤字。     

Canadian Evidence on the Constructive Capitalization of Operating Leases*

One type of relevant ex ante research supporting the accounting standard‐setting process is the study of a proposed standard's impact on reported figures. The International Accounting Standards Board recently decided to review the lease accounting standard, which will naturally involve consideration of the G4 + 1 recommendation to capitalize all noncancellable lease contracts, including operating leases. National evidence of the impact of the G4 + 1 proposals provides feedback for the international standard‐setter. This study developed and used a refined constructive capitalization method, in which company‐specific assumptions — interest rate, total/expired/remaining lives of leased assets, and tax rate — were used to compute the impact of operating‐lease capitalization on key financial indicators for a sample of Canadian public companies. The results indicate that capitalizing operating leases would lead to the recognition of important additional assets and liabilities on the balance sheet. It would therefore significantly increase the debt‐to‐asset ratio and significantly decrease the current ratio. These results were noted across all industry segments in the sample. Income statement effects were generally less material. Significant impacts on return on assets, return on equity, and / or earnings per share were noted in only three industry segments: merchandising and lodging, oil and gas, and financial services. Intercompany comparability would not be affected overall nor within industries, because of similar rankings for each financial indicator before and after operating‐lease capitalization.     

Hidden Overhang of Domestic Debt and Its Role in the This-Time-Is-Different Syndrome: An Empirical Contingent Liabilities Model

The recent studies in public finance literature open an exciting research area on hidden overhang of domestic public debt and creative accounting. In this study, I identify hidden public debts in Turkey. I then develop a dynamical model that takes as given the stock of contingent liabilities generated by lending/borrowing relationships among public entities and looks for the debt (in)tolerance of government to liquidate it in finite periods. Last, I introduce a general empirical methodology to analyze the role of overborrowing in the this-time-is-different syndrome and test model outcome against data for hidden debts in Turkey's postliberalization period (1989-2010).     

Macroeconomic imbalances,financial stress and fiscal vulnerability in the euro area before the debt crises: A market view

This paper tries to identify the macro-financial imbalances that exposed the euro area countries to fiscal stress before the outbreak of the European debt crises. Contrary to conventional wisdom that interprets fiscal stress in terms of fiscal sustainability, we focus on short-term fiscal vulnerability as reflected by the conditions of debt refinancing in the sovereign bond markets. We find that market-based indicators capturing risk perceptions of sovereign debts have been influenced by the indicators defined in the European Macroeconomic Imbalance Procedure (MIP) and by variables of financial vulnerability. When pricing the risk of sovereign bonds, the holders of government debts take into account not only the macroeconomic imbalances but also factors such as banking distress, corporate bond risk, liquidity risks in the interbank market or the volatility of stock prices.     

The Investment Opportunity Set and Capitalization versus Expensing Methods of Accounting Choice

This paper examines the effects of the investment opportunity set (IOS) on management's decision to capitalize or expense significant costs in two diverse settings: (1) in accounting for exploration and development (E&D) costs by firms in the oil-and-gas industry, and (2) in accounting for research and development (R&D) costs by firms (across industries) prior to 1974. We argue that the relation between the IOS and the decision to capitalize versus to expense is based upon managerial incentives to reduce the variance of accounting earnings. High-growth firms are more likely to have more variable earnings, which therefore creates greater incentives to reduce earnings variability. Because the capitalization method generally results in a lower variance of reported earnings than does the expensing method, high-growth firms are more likely to select capitalization. Our results show that, after controlling for firm size and for the indirect effects of the IOS mediated by debt contracts, high-growth firms (firms with fewer assets-in-place) are more likely than low-growth firms to select the capitalization method of accounting for E&D and R&D expenses.
JEL classification: M41; G31     

Discount Point Concessions and the Value of Homes with Conventional versus Nonconventional Mortgage Financing

This is an empirical investigation on the impacts of certain seller concessions on home prices. Specifically, we examine the impacts of two seller concessions: discount point concessions (DPCs) and closing cost concessions (CCCs) on home prices. Using hedonic analysis, we find that DPCs are capitalized into home prices. We do not find that CCCs produce capitalization effects. DPCs appear to work in a manner similar to other creative financing techniques such as a buydown mortgage. DPCs enhance affordability by lowering interest costs and debt service payments. DPCs thus lead to increases in effective demand. CCCs will reduce out of pocket expenses but will not necessarily enhance long-term affordability, thus their price effects are less certain. We show that these price premiums are prevalent only when conventional mortgage financing is used. When FHA and VA loans are used, premiums disappear. Of course, governmental insured/guaranteed loans are much more subject to regulation than conventional loans, which may prevent homesellers from price premium maximization. The study establishes the relative significance of discount points versus closing costs as marketing incentives. It appears that the use of discount points as a marketing incentive produces more capitalization effects. The presence of such capitalization effects is consistent with results found in other creative financing studies.     

新供给经济下的地方政府性债务效率研究——基于DEA三阶段和空间外溢效应模型

通过DEA三阶段方法对中国31个行政区域进行地方政府性债务效率的测度,测评结果表明,2001~2013年,中国地方政府性债务使用效率整体稳中有升,趋势向好,环境变量对效率值存在显著影响;运用空间杜宾模型测度地方政府性债务效率的时空变迁,结果发现经济、社会、政策、市场化程度及债务管理因素均存在显著的空间外溢效应;同时基于空间框架下分析上述各因素对地方政府性债务效率的影响机制。最后,结合当前经济形势和文章实证结论,提出了包括组织债务置换、重置债务结构、创新债务激励管控预警机制协调债务空间利用与供给侧改革等优化地方政府性债务效率的改革路径。     

The determinants of secondary market prices for developing country loans: the impact of country risk

With better-defined variables based on Euromoney country risk data as explanatory variables, the determinants of the prices of the debts of less-developed countries (LDCs) in the secondary market are estimated. With the use of cross-sectional data on 27 countries for the years 1992, 1993, and 1994, the regression results indicate that sovereign credit ratings constitute the most important variable influencing prices; other significant variables include the level of external indebtedness and the amount of debt in default. Separate results have been obtained for each of the two categories of countries grouped according to the level of economic development. These results are more meaningful than those of previous studies because the model includes, in addition to debt-servicing capacity, other variables that best explain the prices of LDCs' debt within the context of a risky debt instrument.     

地方政府举债影响工业经济增长的空间效应研究

通过构建了地方政府举债影响工业经济增长的理论模型,并分析两者呈正向相关的作用机制;基于空间关联模型,采用2010-2015年全国30个省份地方政府债务的面板数据,对地方政府举债的工业经济增长效应进行实证研究.结果表明:(1)地方政府举债对工业经济增长具有显著的促进作用.地方政府通过对国有土地的绝对垄断来经营城市,利用土地抵押融资来大规模举债,并改善城市基础设施吸引投资,促进工业经济增长;(2)地方政府举债对地区工业经济增长的溢出效应不明显.地方政府债务主要投向了市政建设、交通运输等基础设施建设领域,对邻近地区的工业经济发展很难起到推动作用.     

IFRS Adoption and the Choice Between Public and Private Debt: Evidence from South Korea

This article examines the association between mandatory International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) adoption and corporate choice between public debt and private debt. If IFRS adoption increases the quality of lenders’ information environment provided on financial statements, firms are more likely to access the public debt market. Using a sample of public and private debts financing firms from 2000 to 2014 in Korea, we find that firms that file financial reports under the IFRS are less likely to finance from public debt markets, implying that the mandatory IFRS adoption has exacerbated the information environment of the public debt market in Korea.     

货币政策与政府债务管理的关系：理论与实践新进展

近年来，许多国家的政府债务管理目标明确为在控制风险的前提下，使政府融资需求和中长期利息支付维持在尽可能低的水平。政府债务管理者优化债务期限结构的行为可能与中央银行货币政策目标方向并不一致，从而既影响货币政策的效果，也可能会阻碍政府债务管理目标的实现。文章对近年来政府债务管理与货币政策关系的表现及相关理论成果进行初步梳理和总结，并对优化政府债务管理的方法和前景进行思考和展望。     

Financing Gaps of Public Pension Schemes and Market Potential for the Private Retirement Market

Abstract

Increasing longevity, declining birth rates, and high unemployment severely threaten the financial basis of many public pension plans. These problems are most pronounced in continental Europe, where public pension plans tend to be relatively generous and are usually funded on a pay-as-you-go basis. Given the demographic development, future pension payments exceed the expected contribution payments. The resulting financing gaps can be seen as implicit public debts (net pension liabilities), which often exceed the value of GDP figures and are in many cases higher than the explicit public debt figures. If people would decide to cover these financing gaps via life insurance, life insurance premiums would triple in Germany, more than double in Italy, and double in Canada and France. The increase would be only moderate in the U.S. and particularly small in the U.K.     

Sovereign Debt: A Primer

The troublesome debts of a number of developing countries havespawned a large literature on why countries borrow, on the extentto which debt contributes to growth, on why countries repay,and on how debt problems should be handled. This article providesa basic introduction to some issues in sovereign debt. First,it presents the basic accounting concepts associated with debt.Second, it treats debt as a component of the intertemporal maximizationof a borrower in a competitive loan market facing an intertemporalbudget constraint. Third, it introduces debt into recent modelsof endogenous growth and examines what these models imply aboutthe relationship between debt and growth. Fourth, it discussesissues arising from sovereign risk. Fifth, it examines incentivesto repay. Sixth, it reviews the various options available toa creditor facing a debtor unwilling to meet current debt serviceobligations. Seventh, it examines debt buybacks.     

国有股权、债务结构与大股东利益侵占

利用2010—2012年我国A股市场国有上市公司数据,研究了债务融资及其不同的组成部分在治理大股东侵占中小股东利益方面的作用。研究发现,债务融资与国有企业大股东利益侵占呈显著负向关系,即国有企业债务融资行为对大股东利益侵占具有治理作用;短期借款、非公开债务与公开债务均与国有企业大股东利益侵占呈显著正向关系、长期借款却无法充分发挥其治理作用。其政策含义是,债务融资在治理大股东对国有上市公司利益侵占时,应当关注短期借款以及债务的布置结构所带来的不利影响。     

The Anticipated Capitalisation Effect of a New Metro Line on Housing Prices*

Housing units with closer access to public transportation enjoy a higher market value than those with similar characteristics but poorer access. This difference can be explained by the lower cost of transport to the main workplaces and shopping areas in town. For this reason, investments in public transport infrastructure, such as building a new metro line, are capitalised totally or partially into land and housing prices. This work empirically analyses the degree of capitalisation into housing prices of the benefits of the new Line 4 of the Santiago metro system, which began operating in December 2005. We focus on anticipated capitalisation into housing prices at the moment construction of Line 4 was announced and at the moment information on the basic engineering project was unveiled, identifying the location of the future stations. We use a unique database containing all home buying and selling transactions in the Greater Santiago area between December 2000 and March 2004. The results show that the average apartment price rose by between 4.2 per cent and 7.9 per cent after construction was announced and by between 3.1 per cent and 5.5 per cent after the location of the stations was identified. These increases were not distributed evenly, but depended on the distance from the apartment to the nearest station. An indirect effect of this kind of capitalization is that property tax collections will increase if property is reappraised following the price rise. This effect is not negligible in magnitude and could represent 11 to 17 per cent of investment in the new metro line. This raises and interesting discussion on how the metro network extension is financed.     

The effect of management incentives and cross-listing status on the accounting treatment of R&D spending

This paper investigates the effect of management incentives and cross-listing status on the accounting treatment of research and development (R&D) spending for a sample of Canadian hi-tech and biopharmaceutical firms. U.S. GAAP adopts an immediate expensing rule for all R&D spending except for software development costs for which technological feasibility has been established. Contrary to the U.S., Canadian and international standard setters recommend capitalization if development costs meet certain criteria. Because those criteria are largely based on management judgment, capitalization of R&D spending is an accounting choice that can be used for income manipulation or signaling.Using a logit model, we examine how the decision to capitalize R&D spending is influenced by the cross-listing status and several other key firm characteristics that are well documented in the accounting literature. We find that the probability of capitalizing R&D spending increases for cross-listed and non-cross-listed firms in the software industry. The probability of capitalizing R&D spending also increases for firms that are more leveraged, more mature, and have higher level of cash flows from operations. However, the probability of capitalizing R&D spending decreases for larger corporations, firms with more concentrated ownership and highly profitable firms. Overall our results indicate a preference for Canadian firms in the software industry to emulate U.S. accounting practices for R&D spending. They also suggest that firms use the decision to capitalize or expense R&D spending as an earning management tool to either meet debt covenants or to smooth income.     

地方政府债务管理及危机处置的国际经验借鉴

地方政府举债是工业化、城市化的必然选择,合理举债有利于地方财政的高效运转,但若监管错位、过度举债则有可能引发债务危机。自2014年起,我国赋予地方政府发债权,随着近年来收益类专项债的扩容,地方政府债务规模不断扩大,同时融资平台、政府引导基金等各种形式的隐性债务风险依然突出。当前地方政府债务风险被视为“灰犀牛”,亟需引起重视和关注。本文通过梳理美国、日本、巴西地方政府债务危机产生的原因和处置方式,总结国外地方政府债务管理和危机处置的有效经验,并结合现阶段我国地方政府债务管理中存在的预算软约束、发行主体单一、债务透明度差、评级和监管缺位、预警和处置机制不完善等主要问题,提出相关对策建议。