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Firms' Financial and Real Responses to Monetary Tightening: Evidence for Large and Small Italian Companies

Author

Listed:
  • Laura Rondi

    (CERIS-CNR, Turin)

  • Brian Sack

    (Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, Division of Monetary Affairs, Washington, DC)

  • Fabio Schiantarelli

    (Boston College)

  • Alessandro Sembenelli

    (CERIS-CNR, Turin)

Abstract

Following the idea that adverse macroeconomic shocks to the economy worsen agency problems between borrowers and lenders, this paper presents empirical evidence that small and large firms react differently to monetary tightening. We use aggregate annual balance sheet data for two subsamples of large and small private Italian companies over the period 1968-1991. Based upon qualitative and quantitative descriptive evidence, we first construct stringency dummies that capture periods of monetary tightness. We then provide descriptive evidence that, following a restriction, small firms report a sharper decrease in short-term dept and a steeper fall in both sales and inventory. Finally, inventory and fixed investment equations are estimated in an ECM form. Consistently with our expectations, we find that both inventory and fixed investment decisions by small firms display greater sensitivity to proxies of credit worthiness, the more so during periods of monetary tightening.

Suggested Citation

  • Laura Rondi & Brian Sack & Fabio Schiantarelli & Alessandro Sembenelli, 1998. "Firms' Financial and Real Responses to Monetary Tightening: Evidence for Large and Small Italian Companies," Giornale degli Economisti, GDE (Giornale degli Economisti e Annali di Economia), Bocconi University, vol. 57(1), pages 35-64, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:gde:journl:gde_v57_n1_p35-64
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Ampudia, Miguel & Georgarakos, Dimitris & Slacalek, Jiri & Tristani, Oreste & Vermeulen, Philip & Violante, Giovanni L., 2018. "Monetary policy and household inequality," Working Paper Series 2170, European Central Bank.
    2. Fabio Bagliano & Alessandro Sembenelli, 2004. "The cyclical behaviour of inventories: European cross-country evidence from the early 1990s recession," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 36(18), pages 2031-2044.
    3. Bertero, Elisabetta & Rondi, Laura, 2000. "Financial pressure and the behaviour of public enterprises under soft and hard budget constraints: evidence from Italian panel data," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 75(1), pages 73-98, January.
    4. Emmanuel O. Eyo & Merrian A. Nwaogu & Michael E. Agenson, 2020. "Agricultural Credit Guarantee in Nigeria and the Uncertainties of the Macroeconomic Environment," International Journal of Economics and Financial Issues, Econjournals, vol. 10(2), pages 20-29.
    5. Mojon, Benoit & Smets, Frank & Vermeulen, Philip, 2002. "Investment and monetary policy in the euro area," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 26(11), pages 2111-2129, November.
    6. Rumen Dobrinsky & Nikolay Markov, 2003. "Policy Regime Change And Corporate Credit In Bulgaria: Asymmetric Supply And Demand Responses," William Davidson Institute Working Papers Series 2003-607, William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan.
    7. Vermeulen, Philip, 2002. " Business Fixed Investment: Evidence of a Financial Accelerator in Europe," Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, Department of Economics, University of Oxford, vol. 64(3), pages 217-235, July.
    8. Eugenio Gaiotti & Andrea Generale, 2002. "Does Monetary Policy Have Asymmetric Effects? A Look at the Investment Decisions of Italian Firms," Giornale degli Economisti, GDE (Giornale degli Economisti e Annali di Economia), Bocconi University, vol. 61(1), pages 29-59, June.
    9. Riccardo Fiorentini & Roberto Tamborini, 2001. "The Monetary Transmission Mechanism in Italy: The Credit Channel and a Missing Ring," Giornale degli Economisti, GDE (Giornale degli Economisti e Annali di Economia), Bocconi University, vol. 60(1), pages 1-42, June.
    10. Ono, Masanori, 2009. "Trading companies as financial intermediaries in Japan," MPRA Paper 17331, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    11. Eugenio Gaiotti & Andrea Generale, 2002. "Does Monetary Policy Have Asymmetric Effects? A Look at the Investment Decisions of Italian Firms," Giornale degli Economisti, GDE (Giornale degli Economisti e Annali di Economia), Bocconi University, vol. 61(1), pages 29-59, June.
    12. Elisabetta Bertero & Laura Rondi, 1998. "Managerial discretion and investment decisions of state-owned firms: Evidence from a panel of italian companies," CERIS Working Paper 199807, CNR-IRCrES Research Institute on Sustainable Economic Growth - Torino (TO) ITALY - former Institute for Economic Research on Firms and Growth - Moncalieri (TO) ITALY.
    13. Mojon, Benoit & Smets, Frank & Vermeulen, Philip, 2002. "Investment and monetary policy in the euro area," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 26(11), pages 2111-2129, November.
    14. Philip Vermeulen, 2002. "Business fixed investment: evidence of a financial accelerator in Europe," Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, Department of Economics, University of Oxford, vol. 64(3), pages 213-231, July.
    15. Laura Rondi & Alessandro Sembenelli, 1997. "Investment, Financial Factors and Business Fluctuations," CERIS Working Paper 199717, CNR-IRCrES Research Institute on Sustainable Economic Growth - Torino (TO) ITALY - former Institute for Economic Research on Firms and Growth - Moncalieri (TO) ITALY.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    monetary tightening; asymmetric information; investment;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E22 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Investment; Capital; Intangible Capital; Capacity
    • E44 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Money and Interest Rates - - - Financial Markets and the Macroeconomy
    • G32 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Financing Policy; Financial Risk and Risk Management; Capital and Ownership Structure; Value of Firms; Goodwill

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