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Corporate debt and investment: a firm analysis for stressed euro area countries

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  • Gebauer, Stefan
  • Setzer, Ralph
  • Westphal, Andreas

Abstract

This paper investigates the link between corporate debt and investment for a group of fi ve peripheral euro area countries. Using firm-level data from 2005-2014, we postulate a non-linear corporate leverage-investment relationship and derive thresholds beyond which leverage has a negative and signi ficant impact on investment. The investment sensitivity of debt increased after 2008 when financial distress intensifi ed and fi rms had a lower capacity to finance investment from internal sources of funds. Our results also suggest that even moderate levels of debt can exert a negative influence on investment for smaller firms or when pro fitability is low. JEL Classification: E22, F34, G31, G32

Suggested Citation

  • Gebauer, Stefan & Setzer, Ralph & Westphal, Andreas, 2017. "Corporate debt and investment: a firm analysis for stressed euro area countries," Working Paper Series 2101, European Central Bank.
    • Handle: RePEc:ecb:ecbwps:20172101
    Note: 1128184
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    3. Pal, Rozalia & Wruuck, Patricia & Stamate, Amalia & Dumitrescu, Constantin Catalin, 2019. "Investment: What holds Romanian firms back?," EIB Working Papers 2019/08, European Investment Bank (EIB).
    4. Bertoni, Fabio & Colombo, Massimo G. & Quas, Anita, 2018. "The effects of EU-funded guarantee instruments of the performance of small and medium enterprises: Evidence from France," EIF Working Paper Series 2018/52, European Investment Fund (EIF).
    5. Esteban Pérez Caldentey & Nicole Favreau Negront & Luis Méndez Lobos, 2019. "Corporate debt in Latin America and its macroeconomic implications," Journal of Post Keynesian Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 42(3), pages 335-362, July.
    6. Ryan Niladri Banerjee & Boris Hofmann & Aaron Mehrotra, 2020. "Corporate investment and the exchange rate: The financial channel," BIS Working Papers 839, Bank for International Settlements.
    7. Storz, Manuela & Koetter, Michael & Setzer, Ralph & Westphal, Andreas, 2017. "Do we want these two to tango? On zombie firms and stressed banks in Europe," Working Paper Series 2104, European Central Bank.
    8. repec:zbw:bofitp:2020_006 is not listed on IDEAS
    9. -, 2020. "Economic Survey of Latin America and the Caribbean 2020: Main conditioning factors of fiscal and monetary policies in the post-COVID-19 era," Estudio Económico de América Latina y el Caribe, Naciones Unidas Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL), number 46071 edited by Eclac, September.
    10. Bańbura, Marta & Albani, Maria & Ambrocio, Gene & Bursian, Dirk & Buss, Ginters & de Winter, Jasper & Gavura, Miroslav & Giordano, Claire & Júlio, Paulo & Le Roux, Julien & Lozej, Matija & Malthe-Thag, 2018. "Business investment in EU countries," Occasional Paper Series 215, European Central Bank.
    11. Masuch, Klaus & Anderton, Robert & Setzer, Ralph & Benalal, Nicholai, 2018. "Structural policies in the euro area," Occasional Paper Series 210, European Central Bank.
    12. Pravakar Sahoo & Ashwani Bishnoi, 2021. "Drivers of Corporate Investment Slowdown in India: A Firm Level Analysis," IEG Working Papers 441, Institute of Economic Growth.
    13. Soumaya Bechir Hechmi, 2020. "The Determinants of Investment Behavior of Saudi Industrial Firms," International Journal of Economics and Financial Issues, Econjournals, vol. 10(2), pages 203-208.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    corporate debt; debt overhang; investment; leverage; threshold model;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E22 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Investment; Capital; Intangible Capital; Capacity
    • F34 - International Economics - - International Finance - - - International Lending and Debt Problems
    • G31 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Capital Budgeting; Fixed Investment and Inventory Studies
    • G32 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Financing Policy; Financial Risk and Risk Management; Capital and Ownership Structure; Value of Firms; Goodwill

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