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Screening, Market Signalling, and Capital Structure Theory

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  • Lee, Wayne L
  • Thakor, Anjan V
  • Vora, Gautam

Abstract

This paper develops an equilibrium model in which informational asymmetries about the qualities of products offered for sale are resolved through a mechanism which combines the signalling and costly screening approachs. The model is developed in the context of a capital market setting in which bondholders produce costly information about a firm's priori imperfectly known earnings distribution and use this information in specifyihng a bond valuation schedule to the firm. Given this schedule, the firm's optimal choices of debt-equity ratio and debt maturity structure subsequently signal to prospective shareholders the relevant parameters of the firm's earnings distribution.
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  • Lee, Wayne L & Thakor, Anjan V & Vora, Gautam, 1983. "Screening, Market Signalling, and Capital Structure Theory," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 38(5), pages 1507-1518, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:jfinan:v:38:y:1983:i:5:p:1507-18
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    1. Talmor, Eli, 1981. "Asymmetric Information, Signaling, and Optimal Corporate Financial Decisions," Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, Cambridge University Press, vol. 16(4), pages 413-435, November.
    2. Thakor, Anjan V, 1982. "An Exploration of Competitive Signalling Equilibria with "Third Party" Information Production: The Case of Debt Insurance," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 37(3), pages 717-739, June.
    3. Stephen A. Ross, 1977. "The Determination of Financial Structure: The Incentive-Signalling Approach," Bell Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 8(1), pages 23-40, Spring.
    4. Allen, Beth E, 1981. "Generic Existence of Completely Revealing Equilibria for Economies with Uncertainty when Prices Convey Information," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 49(5), pages 1173-1199, September.
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    6. Sick, Gordon, 1981. "Discussion: Asymmetric Information, Signaling, and Optimal Corporate Financial Decisions," Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, Cambridge University Press, vol. 16(4), pages 437-438, November.
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    9. Sudipto Bhattacharya, 1979. "Imperfect Information, Dividend Policy, and "The Bird in the Hand" Fallacy," Bell Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 10(1), pages 259-270, Spring.
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    3. Chaney, Paul K. & Thakor, Anjan V., 1985. "Incentive effects of benevolent intervention : The case of government loan guarantees," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 26(2), pages 169-189, March.
    4. Umeair Shahzad & Fukai Luo & Jing Liu, 2023. "Debt financing and technology investment Kuznets curve: Evidence from China," International Journal of Finance & Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 28(1), pages 751-765, January.

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