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Why Have Debt Ratios Increased for Firms in Emerging Markets?

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  • Todd Mitton

Abstract

I study trends in capital structure between 1980 and 2004 in a sample of over 11,000 firms from 34 emerging markets. The average firm's market‐value debt ratio rose by 15 percentage points over this quarter century. I study how this rise in leverage was influenced by firm‐level factors and by the availability of debt financing at the country level. The central finding is that the increase in debt ratios can largely be attributed to changes in the characteristics of emerging market firms over this period. For the average firm, the most prominent determinants of capital structure – size, profitability, asset tangibility, and growth opportunities – all shifted in the direction implying a higher optimal level of debt. At the country level, increased financial development within the country is associated with lower debt ratios, but increased financial openness to foreign markets is associated with higher debt ratios.

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  • Todd Mitton, 2008. "Why Have Debt Ratios Increased for Firms in Emerging Markets?," European Financial Management, European Financial Management Association, vol. 14(1), pages 127-151, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:eufman:v:14:y:2008:i:1:p:127-151
    DOI: 10.1111/j.1468-036X.2007.00430.x
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    4. Leonel Rodrigues Bogéa Sobrinho & Hsia Hua Sheng & Mayra Ivanoff Lora, 2012. "Country Factors and Dynamic Capital Structure in Latin American Firms," Brazilian Review of Finance, Brazilian Society of Finance, vol. 10(2), pages 267-284.
    5. Keasey, Kevin & Martinez, Beatriz & Pindado, Julio, 2015. "Young family firms: Financing decisions and the willingness to dilute control," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 34(C), pages 47-63.
    6. Idrees Liaqat & Muhammad Asif Khan & József Popp & Judit Oláh, 2021. "Industry, Firm, and Country Level Dynamics of Capital Structure: A Case of Pakistani Firms," JRFM, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-17, September.
    7. Balli, Faruk & Agyemang, Abraham & Gregory-Allen, Russell & Ozer Balli, Hatice, 2022. "Corporate dividend smoothing: The role of cross-listing," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 72(C).
    8. Fonseka, Mohan & Rajapakse, Theja & Richardson, Grant, 2019. "The effect of environmental information disclosure and energy product type on the cost of debt: Evidence from energy firms in China," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 159-182.
    9. Raja Zekri Ben Hamouda & Faouzi Jilani, 2023. "Impact of the Global Financial Crisis and the Tunisia’s Jasmine Revolution on the Corporate Capital Structure: Evidence from Four Arab Countries," International Journal of Economics and Financial Issues, Econjournals, vol. 13(6), pages 124-134, November.
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