R.T.A. de Haas (De Nederlandsche Bank) H.M.M. Peeters (De Nederlandsche Bank)
Abstract
We study the capital structure dynamics of Central and Eastern European firms in order to get a better understanding of the quantitative and qualitative development of the financial systems in this region. The dynamic model we use endogenizes the target leverage as well as the adjustment speed and is applied to microeconomic data for ten countries. We find that during the transition process firms generally increased their leverage, lowering the gap between actual and target leverage. Profitability and age are the most robust determinants of capital structure targets. Older firms attract more bank debt, whereas profitability decreases firms’ leverage targets. While banking system development has in general enabled firms to get closer to their leverage targets, information asymmetries between firms and banks are still important. As a result, firms prefer internal finance above bank debt (pecking order behaviour) and adjust leverage only slowly.
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Paper provided by EconWPA in its series Finance with number
0405014.
Find related papers by JEL classification: C23 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Single Equation Models; Single Variables - - - Models with Panel Data G32 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Financing Policy; Capital and Ownership Structure O57 - Economic Development, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economywide Country Studies - - - Comparative Studies of Countries
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Rafael La Porta & Florencio Lopez-de-Silanes & Andrei Shleifer & Robert W. Vishny, 1998.
"Law and Finance,"
Journal of Political Economy,
University of Chicago Press, vol. 106(6), pages 1113-1155, December.
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Other versions:
Rafael La Porta & Florencio Lopez-de-Silane & Andrei Shleifer & Robert W. Vishny, 1996.
"Law and Finance,"
NBER Working Papers
5661, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
[Downloadable!] (restricted)