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Debt maturity and the use of interest rate derivatives by non-financial firms

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Abstract

We develop and test a simple model of a firm's optimal debt maturity and its demand for interest rate swaps using 1994 data of over 4000 nonfinancial corporations. As in other models of derivative use, ours predicts a systematic relationship between a firm's swap position and the interest-sensitivity of its cash flow. We test this by estimating the cross-sectional relationship between a firm's swap position and: (1) the amount of short-term and floating-rate debt in its capital structure; and (2) the interest-sensitivity of its EBITD. We find strong evidence that firms use swaps to hedge interest rate risk arising from debt obligations but little evidence that they hedge interest rate risks from operating income. Consistent with theories of swap use (Arak et al., 1988, Wall, 1989, and Titman, 1992), our model also predicts that firms that avoid using swaps because of \"transactions costs\" issue less short-term debt than swap users, since the former are unable to hedge the resulting interest rate risk. We find this to be the case.

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  • George W. Fenn & Mitchell A. Post & Steven A. Sharpe, 1996. "Debt maturity and the use of interest rate derivatives by non-financial firms," Finance and Economics Discussion Series 96-36, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (U.S.).
    • Handle: RePEc:fip:fedgfe:96-36
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    Cited by:

    1. Harper, Joel T. & Wingender, John R., 2000. "An empirical test of agency cost reduction using interest rate swaps," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 24(9), pages 1419-1431, September.
    2. Yuh‐Sheng Horng & Peihwang Wei, 1999. "An Empirical Study of Derivatives use in the REIT Industry," Real Estate Economics, American Real Estate and Urban Economics Association, vol. 27(3), pages 561-586, September.
    3. John R. Graham & Daniel A. Rogers, 2002. "Do Firms Hedge in Response to Tax Incentives?," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 57(2), pages 815-839, April.
    4. James Vickery, 2005. "How and why do small firms manage interest rate risk? Evidence from commercial loans," Staff Reports 215, Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

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    Keywords

    Derivative securities; Swaps (Finance);

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