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Does Monetary Policy Affect Mergers and Acquisitions?

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  • Horn, Carl-Wolfram
  • Fischer, Johannes J.

Abstract

We analyse the effects of monetary policy on mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activity in the United States, both on the aggregate and the firm level. We find that aggregate M&A activity decreases significantly following a monetary policy shock. The aggregate results are confirmed by an analysis of the firm-level M&A activity from the perspective of the acquiring firm. We find that the likelihood of becoming an acquiror decreases significantly following a contractionary monetary policy shock. We find that the acquisition likelihood falls significantly more for relatively more financially constrained firms, suggesting a strong role for the credit channel in the transmission of monetary policy to firms' M&A decisions. We rationalize our empirical findings in a stylized partial-equilibrium model of the firm's M&A decision

Suggested Citation

  • Horn, Carl-Wolfram & Fischer, Johannes J., 2021. "Does Monetary Policy Affect Mergers and Acquisitions?," VfS Annual Conference 2021 (Virtual Conference): Climate Economics 242445, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    • Handle: RePEc:zbw:vfsc21:242445
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Monetary Policy; Corporate Finance; Mergers and Acquisitions;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • 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
    • G34 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Mergers; Acquisitions; Restructuring; Corporate Governance

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