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The Burden of National Debt: Evidence from Mergers and Acquisitions

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  • Ruchith Dissanayake
  • Yanhui Wu
  • Huizhong Zhang

Abstract

Increases in government debt are associated with a reduction in the yield spread between high-grade corporate bonds and long-term Treasuries and an increase in fiscal uncertainty. Consequently, increases in government debt significantly reduce the firm’s likelihood of acquisition. The effect is stronger among firms whose debt is a closer substitute for Treasuries and firms with greater exposure to fiscal uncertainty. A positive change in government debt motivates acquirers to avoid cash financing or more irreversible deals. The average deal quality is lower during periods of rising public debt, consistent with heightened fiscal uncertainty impeding monitoring and fostering “bad” deals. (JEL D80, E22, E62, G18, G34, G38).

Suggested Citation

  • Ruchith Dissanayake & Yanhui Wu & Huizhong Zhang, 2024. "The Burden of National Debt: Evidence from Mergers and Acquisitions," The Review of Corporate Finance Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 13(2), pages 583-624.
    • Handle: RePEc:oup:rcorpf:v:13:y:2024:i:2:p:583-624.
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    6. Alan J. Auerbach & Yuriy Gorodnichenko, 2013. "Corrigendum: Measuring the Output Responses to Fiscal Policy," American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, American Economic Association, vol. 5(3), pages 320-322, August.
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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • D80 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - General
    • E22 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Investment; Capital; Intangible Capital; Capacity
    • E62 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Macroeconomic Policy, Macroeconomic Aspects of Public Finance, and General Outlook - - - Fiscal Policy; Modern Monetary Theory
    • G18 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Government Policy and Regulation
    • G34 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Mergers; Acquisitions; Restructuring; Corporate Governance
    • G38 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Government Policy and Regulation

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