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Corporate Debt Maturity Matters for Monetary Policy

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Abstract

We provide novel empirical evidence that firms’ investment is more responsive to monetary policy when a higher fraction of their debt matures. In a heterogeneous firm New Keynesian model with financial frictions and endogenous debt maturity, two channels explain this finding: (1.) Firms with more maturing debt have larger roll-over needs and are therefore more exposed to fluctuations in the real interest rate (roll-over risk). (2.) These firms also have higher default risk and therefore react more strongly to changes in the real burden of outstanding nominal debt (debt overhang). Unconventional monetary policy, which operates through long-term interest rates, has larger effects on debt maturity but smaller effects on output and inflation than conventional monetary policy.

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  • Joachim Jungherr & Matthias Meier & Timo Reinelt & Immo Schott, 2024. "Corporate Debt Maturity Matters for Monetary Policy," Working Paper Series 2024-30, Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco.
    • Handle: RePEc:fip:fedfwp:98708
    DOI: 10.24148/wp2024-30
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    2. Jin Cao & Torje Hegna & Martin B. Holm & Ragnar Juelsrud & Tobias König & Mikkel Riiser, 2023. "The Investment Channel of Monetary Policy : Evidence from Norway," Working Paper 2023/5, Norges Bank.
    3. Gulyas, Andreas & Meier, Matthias & Ryzhenkov, Mykola, 2024. "Labor market effects of monetary policy across workers and firms," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 166(C).
    4. Gnewuch, Matthias & Zhang, Donghai, 2025. "Monetary policy, firm heterogeneity, and the distribution of investment rates," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 149(C).
    5. Central Bank of the Republic of Türkiye, 2025. "The heterogeneous impact of monetary policy announcements on firms' financial outcomes," BIS Papers chapters, in: Bank for International Settlements (ed.), How can central banks take account of differences across households and firms for monetary policy?, volume 127, pages 295-330, Bank for International Settlements.
    6. Banna, Hasanul & Alam, Ashraful & Chen, Xihui Haviour & Alam, Ahmed W., 2023. "Energy security and economic stability: The role of inflation and war," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 126(C).
    7. Valère Fourel & Alice Schwenninger, 2024. "The Impact of the PEPP on the Corporate Commercial Paper Market," Working papers 946, Banque de France.
    8. Stéphane Dupraz, 2023. "The Dynamic IS Curve when there is both Investment and Savings," Working papers 905, Banque de France.
    9. Holm-Hadulla, Fédéric & Thürwächter, Claire, 2024. "Granular shocks to corporate leverage and the macroeconomic transmission of monetary policy," Working Paper Series 2891, European Central Bank.
    10. Fedajev, Aleksandra & Mitić, Petar & Kojić, Milena & Radulescu, Magdalena, 2023. "Driving industrial and economic growth in Central and Eastern Europe: The role of electricity infrastructure and renewable energy," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 85(C).
    11. Matthias Gnewuch, 2024. "Monetary policy, firm heterogeneity, and the distribution of investment rates," Working Papers 61, European Stability Mechanism.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    monetary policy; investment; corporate debt; debt maturity;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E32 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Prices, Business Fluctuations, and Cycles - - - Business Fluctuations; Cycles
    • E44 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Money and Interest Rates - - - Financial Markets and the Macroeconomy
    • E52 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Monetary Policy, Central Banking, and the Supply of Money and Credit - - - Monetary Policy

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