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Firm Exit and Liquidity: Evidence from the Great Recession

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Abstract

This paper studies the role of credit constraints in accounting for the dynamics of firm exit during the Great Recession. We present novel firm-level evidence on the role of credit constraints on exit behavior during the Great Recession. Firms in financial distress, with tighter access to credit, are more likely to default than firms with more access to credit. This difference widened substantially in the Great Recession while, in contrast, default rates did not vary much by size, age, or productivity. We identify conditions under which standard models of firms subject to financial frictions can be consistent with these facts.

Suggested Citation

  • Fernando Leibovici & David Wiczer, 2023. "Firm Exit and Liquidity: Evidence from the Great Recession," Opportunity and Inclusive Growth Institute Working Papers 074, Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis.
    • Handle: RePEc:fip:fedmoi:96367
    DOI: 10.21034/iwp.74
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    JEL classification:

    • E32 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Prices, Business Fluctuations, and Cycles - - - Business Fluctuations; Cycles
    • G01 - Financial Economics - - General - - - Financial Crises

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