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Financial market frictions and diversification

Author

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  • Matvos, Gregor
  • Seru, Amit
  • Silva, Rui C.

Abstract

We find new facts that relate the evolution of firm scope to the changing frictions in external capital markets over the last three decades. We find that large, diversified publicly traded firms increase their scope during times of high external capital market frictions, such as in the recent Great Recession. Moreover, during these times firms diversify their investment needs and cash flow across industries. We also find similar phenomena outside diversified public firms. Examining the mergers and acquisitions activity of stand-alone and diversified private firms, we uncover similar patterns. In aggregate data, we find that the composition of mergers shifts from focused to diversifying and back with changes in external market conditions. Our evidence is broadly consistent with the notion that firms diversify their scope in response to tightening in external capital markets.

Suggested Citation

  • Matvos, Gregor & Seru, Amit & Silva, Rui C., 2018. "Financial market frictions and diversification," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 127(1), pages 21-50.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jfinec:v:127:y:2018:i:1:p:21-50
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jfineco.2017.09.006
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    Cited by:

    1. Valenti, Daniele & Bastianin, Andrea & Manera, Matteo, 2023. "A weekly structural VAR model of the US crude oil market," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 121(C).
    2. Bebonchu Atems, 2020. "Identifying the Dynamic Effects of Income Inequality on Crime," Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, Department of Economics, University of Oxford, vol. 82(4), pages 751-782, August.
    3. Aparicio, Karen & Kim, Ryoonhee, 2023. "External capital market frictions, corporate governance, and tax avoidance: Evidence from the TED spread," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 52(C).
    4. Mehmet Nasih Tağ, 2022. "The Dark Side of Firm Diversity: An Empirical Examination of the Impact of Firm Diversity on Resource Allocation Efficiency in Multidivisional Firms," Istanbul Business Research, Istanbul University Business School, vol. 51(2), pages 643-668, November.
    5. Almaghrabi, Khadija S., 2022. "COVID-19 and the cost of bond debt: The role of corporate diversification," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 46(PB).
    6. Shan Ge, 2022. "How Do Financial Constraints Affect Product Pricing? Evidence from Weather and Life Insurance Premiums," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 77(1), pages 449-503, February.
    7. Bartram, Söhnke M. & Hou, Kewei & Kim, Sehoon, 2022. "Real effects of climate policy: Financial constraints and spillovers," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 143(2), pages 668-696.
    8. Nicola Cetorelli & Michael G. Jacobides & Samuel Stern, 2021. "Mapping a sector's scope transformation and the value of following the evolving core," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 42(12), pages 2294-2327, December.
    9. M. Kabir Hassan & M. Sydul Karim & Tarun Mukherjee, 2023. "Does corporate diversification retrench the effects of firm‐level political risk?," The Financial Review, Eastern Finance Association, vol. 58(4), pages 663-702, November.
    10. Beaver, William H & Cascino, Stefano & Correia, Maria & McNichols, Maureen F., 2023. "Bankruptcy in groups," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 118590, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    11. Min Dai & Xavier Giroud & Wei Jiang & Neng Wang, 2020. "A q Theory of Internal Capital Markets," NBER Working Papers 27931, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    12. Chen, Sheng-Syan & Ho, Keng-Yu & Ho, Po-Hsin & Nie, Wei-Ying, 2022. "CEO overconfidence and bondholder wealth effects: Evidence from mergers and acquisitions," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 77(C).
    13. Viswanathan Nagarajan & Pitabas Mohanty & Apalak Khatua, 2023. "Financing effects of corporate diversification: A review," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 17(7), pages 2555-2585, October.
    14. Jiang, Fei & Kong, Dongmin & Lu, Zhengfei & Ma, Yongqiang & Yi, Yang, 2023. "Geographic dispersion and corporate resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 88(C).
    15. Jieying Hong & Rui Zhang, 2023. "Manager‐specific shocks, financial constraints and conglomerate merger," Canadian Journal of Economics/Revue canadienne d'économique, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 56(1), pages 46-59, February.
    16. Oliver Boguth & Ran Duchin & Mikhail Simutin, 2022. "Dissecting Conglomerate Valuations," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 77(2), pages 1097-1131, April.
    17. Iftekhar Hasan & Stefano Manfredonia, 2021. "Productivity, managers' social connections and the Great Recession," CEIS Research Paper 507, Tor Vergata University, CEIS, revised 10 Mar 2021.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Theory of firm; Firm boundaries; Conglomerates; Diversification; Internal capital markets;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D92 - Microeconomics - - Micro-Based Behavioral Economics - - - Intertemporal Firm Choice, Investment, Capacity, and Financing
    • E22 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Investment; Capital; Intangible Capital; Capacity
    • G01 - Financial Economics - - General - - - Financial Crises
    • G3 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance
    • L21 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - Business Objectives of the Firm
    • L25 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - Firm Performance

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