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Debt Overhang and Investment Efficiency

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  • Wolski, Marcin
  • Barbiero, Francesca
  • Popov, Alexander

Abstract

Using a pan-European dataset of 8.5 million rms, we find that firms with high debt overhang invest relatively more than otherwise similar firms if they are operating in sectors facing good global growth opportunities. This effect is robust to controlling for firm fi xed effects and for country-sector-time fixed effects. At the same time, the positive impact of a marginal increase in debt on investment efficiency disappears if fi rm debt is excessive, if it is dominated by short maturities, and during systemic banking crises. Our results are consistent with theories highlighting the disciplining role of debt over equity.

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  • Wolski, Marcin & Barbiero, Francesca & Popov, Alexander, 2018. "Debt Overhang and Investment Efficiency," CEPR Discussion Papers 12784, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    • Handle: RePEc:cpr:ceprdp:12784
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    Cited by:

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    2. Cappiello, Lorenzo & Holm-Hadulla, Fédéric & Maddaloni, Angela & Mayordomo, Sergio & Unger, Robert & Arts, Laura & Meme, Nicolas & Asimakopoulos, Ioannis & Migiakis, Petros & Behrens, Caterina & Moura, 2021. "Non-bank financial intermediation in the euro area: implications for monetary policy transmission and key vulnerabilities," Occasional Paper Series 270, European Central Bank.
    3. Bilal Ahmed & Minhas Akbar & Tanazza Sabahat & Saqib Ali & Ammar Hussain & Ahsan Akbar & Xie Hongming, 2020. "Does Firm Life Cycle Impact Corporate Investment Efficiency?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(1), pages 1-13, December.
    4. Barrela, Rodrigo & Lopez-Garcia, Paloma & Setzer, Ralph, 2022. "Medium-term investment responses to activity shocks: the role of corporate debt," Working Paper Series 2751, European Central Bank.
    5. Moritz Schularick, 2021. "Corporate indebtedness and macroeconomic stabilisation from a long-term perspective," ECONtribute Policy Brief Series 024, University of Bonn and University of Cologne, Germany.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Investment misallocation; Debt overhang; Banking crises;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E22 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Investment; Capital; Intangible Capital; Capacity
    • E44 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Money and Interest Rates - - - Financial Markets and the Macroeconomy
    • G21 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Banks; Other Depository Institutions; Micro Finance Institutions; Mortgages
    • H63 - Public Economics - - National Budget, Deficit, and Debt - - - Debt; Debt Management; Sovereign Debt

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