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Bond market stimulus: Firm-level evidence

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  • Darmouni, Olivier
  • Siani, Kerry Y.

Abstract

How do asset purchases by central banks transmit to the real economy? Using micro-data on corporate balance sheets, we study firm behavior after the unprecedented policy support to corporate bond markets in 2020. As bond yields fell, firms issued bonds to accumulate large and persistent amounts of liquid assets. The effect on real investment was generally weak: many issuers already had access to bank liquidity and maintained equity payouts, while others used bond funds to pay back bank debt. This evidence sheds light on how corporate liquidity and financial heterogeneity matter for the macro-economy and the transmission of unconventional monetary policy.

Suggested Citation

  • Darmouni, Olivier & Siani, Kerry Y., 2025. "Bond market stimulus: Firm-level evidence," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 151(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:moneco:v:151:y:2025:i:c:s0304393224001818
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jmoneco.2024.103728
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    JEL classification:

    • G23 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Non-bank Financial Institutions; Financial Instruments; Institutional Investors
    • 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
    • E52 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Monetary Policy, Central Banking, and the Supply of Money and Credit - - - Monetary Policy

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