Academic literature on the topic 'Financial constraints'

In this thesis I explore two factors that impose constraints for external finance of firms in Emerging market, the lack of property rights protection and the absence of political connections. I demonstrates that strengthening of property rights protection and sustaining tighter political connection is beneficial for firms external finance.

This study intends to examine the occurrence and effectiveness of minority block transactions in the presence of financial constraints in target firms. Minority transactions represent a strategic decision with specific characteristics if compared to the various forms of integration. In fact, several authors claim that minority block transactions may represent an alternative to alleviate financial constraints. However, there are still few studies that empirically address the relationship between financial constraints and the occurrence of such transactions. More specifically, there is no empirical evidence that states that minority transactions actually ease targets\' financial restrictions and foster corporate investment. Using a panel composed of approximately 12.000 deals, results show a positive relationship between the presence of financial constraints in target firms and the occurrence of minority transactions. Moreover, there is a significant difference between on the growth of investment and leverage indicators of target firms\' related to its counterfactuals after deal completion, indicating the effectiveness of minority transactions in alleviating such companies\' restrictions.<br>Este trabalho pretende examinar a ocorrência e a efetividade de transações minoritárias de participação na presença de restrições financeiras nas empresas alvo. Transações minoritárias em empresas representam uma decisão estratégica com características peculiares em relação aos diversos tipos de integração empresarial. De fato, diversos autores afirmam que transações de partes minoritárias de empresas podem representar uma alternativa para aliviar restrições financeiras. No entanto, ainda existem poucos estudos que analisam empiricamente a relação entre restrições financeiras e a ocorrência de tais transações. Mais especificamente, não há evidência empírica que afirme de fato que compras minoritárias de participações em empresas podem aliviar suas restrições financeiras ao investimento. Utilizando um painel composto de aproximadamente doze mil transações minoritárias feitas entre adquirentes americanos e alvos internacionais, os resultados demonstram uma relação positiva entre a presença de restrições financeiras ao investimento em empresas e a ocorrência de transações minoritárias. Adicionalmente, há uma diferença significativa entre os indicadores de crescimento e alavancagem das firmas alvo em relação aos seus contrafactuais após o período da transação, indicando a efetividade dos processos de transações minoritárias em relaxar as restrições financeiras das empresas.

Firms are the engines of growth in any economy. It is therefore important to study how they finance themselves, as this may have a direct impact on the overall growth rate of the economy. A firm can choose whether to finance its activities with equity, debt, or both. An optimal capital structure is that mix of internal and external finance (debt and/or equity) that optimizes the value of a firm. Therefore, the question of how to finance or equivalently from where to borrow becomes a crucial decision. In each chapter of this study, we study the financing decisions of a different set of firms faced with financial constraints. The two countries we focus on are the UK and China. Our study examines two types of firms in the UK. We first study listed firms and examine how financial constraints affect their leverage decisions. Next, we focus on the financing decisions of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), as these firms are more likely to suffer from financial constraints. To examine financial constraints, we use both conventionally used indicators of financial constraints and new indicators. Our study on China is mainly based on listed manufacturing Chinese firms. China is currently the largest developing and transition economy in the world. It is interesting to study the financing behaviour of manufacturing firms in China as manufacturing is believed to be the main engine behind the Chinese growth miracle. We account for factors specific to the Chinese case to determine if the leverage decisions of Chinese firms are similar to those of firms in other parts of the world. We also examine the cash holding decisions of Chinese firms as these firms seem to be highly financially conservative. Our results indicate that firms tend to follow a financial hierarchy in their financing patters and that the preferred source of external finance of most firms, whether in the UK or China, remains leverage. However firms tend to reduce their leverage when they experience an increase in their internal funds, which points towards a financially conservative behaviour. This needs to be accounted for in policy decisions that are mainly formulated on the supply side.

This thesis studies how firms’ investment and credit are affected by different financial imperfections related to firm and bank learning, relationship lending and financial wealth. After reviewing in chapter 2 the related literature, in chapter 3 I investigate the main determinants of different types of financial constraints, such as credit rationing and excessive cost of debt, by constructing new measures of these problems based on qualitative data. I then develop in chapter 4 a model of firm investment with financial constraints and Bayesian learning that provides a new framework to analyze the problem of asymmetric learning between a bank and a firm and its effect on a firm’s investment decision. This model is used to investigate, theoretically and empirically, the relationship between firms’ investment and internal funds in the presence of limited information, learning and bankruptcy costs, providing new arguments to support a ushaped curve theory of investment and internal funds. Finally, in chapter 5 this model is used to analyze how relationship lending affects the evolution of interest rates during the life cycle of firms.<br>Esta tesis estudia cómo la inversión y el crédito están afectados por diferentes imperfecciones financieras relacionadas con el aprendizaje, las relaciones de crédito y la riqueza financiera. Luego de revisar la literatura relacionada, en el Capítulo 3 se investiga los principales determinantes de distintas restricciones financieras relacionadas con el acceso y las condiciones del crédito, mediante la construcción de nuevos indicadores de estos problemas. Luego, en el Capítulo 4 se desarrolla un modelo de inversión con restricciones financieras y aprendizaje Bayesiano que provee un nuevo marco para analizar el problema del aprendizaje asimétrico entre un banco y una firma y su efecto en las decisiones de inversión de esta última. Dicho modelo es utilizado para investigar de forma teórica y empírica la relación entre la inversión y los recursos propios en la presencia de información asimétrica, aprendizaje y costes de quiebra, obteniendo nuevos argumentos para apoyar la teoría de una relación en forma de U entre la inversión y los recursos propios. Finalmente, en el Capítulo 5 se estudia como una relación de crédito afecta la evolución de los tipos de interés durante el ciclo de vida de las firmas.

The understanding the effects of financial constraints and firms’ activities is an important issue from both macroeconomics and microeconomics perspectives. The recent development of the asymmetric information approach has established a link between finance and the real activity. A good understanding of the effects of financial constraints and firms’ activities would provide valuable information about the mechanism through which monetary policy affects real economic activities and the understanding of the macroeconomic dynamics. From a microeconomics perspective, the study of the effects of financial constraints also contributes to the understating of firms’ corporate finance behaviors and the importance of firm heterogeneity in firms’ activities. This research uses two large samples of firm-level panel data from China to study the effects of financial constraints on three key firm activities. First, using an Euler equation investment model, we empirically study the effects of financial constraints on firms’ fixed investment in China over the period 1998-2005. We find strong evidence indicating there is a “lending bias” at work. Where the state-owned enterprises and collectively owned enterprises are less financially constrained that privately owned firms. The evidence also suggests that listed firms are more financially constrained than unlisted firms. Moreover, the results indicate that the presence of foreign ownership helps to reduce the level of financial constraints faced by firms. Second, we use an error correction model augmented with cash flow to test the effects of financial constraints on firms’ inventory investment in China with emphasis on the firm heterogeneity. We find that cash flow is an important determinant for inventory investment of privately owned firms, foreign owned firms, firms with no political affiliations to the central or local governments. The result also suggests that the level of financial constraints faced by firms increased over the study period. Last, we test whether there is a link between financial factors and firms’ export decisions in China. We find that firms’ liquidity and leverage levels are important determinants of firm’s exports participation decisions, where the effects are strongest for privately owned firms. When we focus on the exports participation decision of the private firms, we find financial factors are particular important for firms that are smaller, younger and with no political affiliations.

The thesis develops a new model of the small open economy emphasizing financial constraints, based on the notion of liquidity preference as a constraining tendency on the income adjustment process. Preference for liquid assets results in a number of financial states of constraint, such as financial vulnerability, financial exclusion and financial fragility. These are explored in a regional and international context. Openness brings with it new opportunity as well as potential constraints. Models of small open economies have in general assumed away the latter and have neglected the consequences of financial openness. This is reflected in the absence of a means to identify economies as small and open on the basis of their financial exposure. The financial vulnerability index is developed to address this deficit. Applied to twenty-one countries, the index reveals that emerging countries can be classified as small open economies constrained by preference for liquid assets. Policies designed with the conventional approach to constraints in mind appear to be inappropriate for these countries. The concept of constraints has rarely been dealt with explicitly and a possible categorisation of constraints for mainstream and Post Keynesian schools is developed. It proves to be a useful point of entry for grasping ontological differences between schools. It also provides insights into the constraining tendencies facing the small open economy, and how they can be managed. When these insights are applied to the South African economy, the current macroeconomic policy, and critiques thereof, are found to be wanting.

The first part of this Thesis analyzes the impact of financial constraints (FC) on industrial structure. Chapter 1 presents a model that disentangles several effects of FC on entry, turnover, productivity and firms size distribution. The framework is applied in Chapter 2 which develops an industry equilibrium model of vertical integration under contractual imperfections with specific input suppliers and external investors. I assume that vertical integration economizes on the needs for contracts with specific input suppliers at the cost of higher financial requirements. I show that the two forms of contractual imperfections have different effects on the degree of vertical integration, and that contractual frictions with external investors affect vertical integration through two opposing channels: a direct negative, investment, effect and an indirect positive, entry, effect. Using cross-country- industry data, I present novel evidence on the institutional determinants of international differences in vertical integration which is consistent with the predictions of the theoretical model. In particular, I show' that countries with more developed financial systems are relatively more vertically integrated in industries that are dominated by large firms. The second part (Chapter 3) asks whether vertical integration reduces or increases transaction costs with external investors. I build a model in which a seller produces a good that can be used by a buyer, or sold on a spot market. The buyer and the seller have no cash, need to finance investments for production, and can not foresee in advance whether the input is most efficiently traded on the spot market or among each other. I assume that ownership of physical assets gives control over contracting rights to those assets, that financial streams get transferred with ownership and that returns can not be perfectly verified. The net balance of the costs and benefits of integration in terms of pledgeable income depends on the relative intensities of a positive "profits-pooling" effect against a negative "de-monitoring" effect. I find that larger projects, more specific assets, and low' investors protection are determinants of vertical integration. I discuss joint liability contracts between non integrated firms and how contractual externalities among investors favor integration.

Submitted by Edison Alejandro Flores Condori (edisonflores18@gmail.com) on 2017-02-03T20:45:26Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação Mestrado_Edison Flores FGV.pdf: 1381090 bytes, checksum: 03fed481db399e15ebdbc720a48a2af2 (MD5)<br>Approved for entry into archive by Pamela Beltran Tonsa (pamela.tonsa@fgv.br) on 2017-02-06T16:53:31Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação Mestrado_Edison Flores FGV.pdf: 1381090 bytes, checksum: 03fed481db399e15ebdbc720a48a2af2 (MD5)<br>Made available in DSpace on 2017-02-06T19:09:36Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação Mestrado_Edison Flores FGV.pdf: 1381090 bytes, checksum: 03fed481db399e15ebdbc720a48a2af2 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-01-19<br>Financial intermediaries as of microfinance institutions represent a significant source of funds in emerging markets. Microfinances in the Peruvian banking market faced a high evolution, creating a great environment for its development. Thus, in the last 8 years Peru became one of the leading countries in microfinancing practice, while the economy also experimented sustainable growth rates above the average of the region. However, studies about financial intermediaries mainly in microfinance institutions are still few for emerging market contexts. Literature also demonstrates the importance of financial intermediaries as well as a series of financial frictions at their liquidity provision activities as economic agents. Therefore, this study aims to identify whether financial intermediaries in Peru face funding constraints, using a quasi-exogenous event (change in regulation) that allowed small financial intermediaries to increase the scope of their lending activities. We compare these institutions to banks that were not affected by the regulatory change. Our sample is the universe of Peruvian financial intermediaries between 2004 and 2014. Results found in the Diff-in-Diff model indicate that small financial intermediaries, are financially constrained as they increase their costs of funding compared to large banks after the regulatory shock. Our results suggest that cost of deposits matters in a context of credit expansion in an emerging market. These findings evidence the existence of financial market frictions in an emerging economy.<br>Os intermediários financeiros como as instituições de micro finanças representam uma fonte significativa de fundos em mercados emergentes. As micro finanças no mercado bancário peruano tiveram uma grande evolução, criando um bom ambiente para seu desenvolvimento. Assim, nos últimos 8 anos o Peru tornou-se um dos principais países na prática de micro finanças, enquanto a economia também experimentou taxas de crescimento sustentáveis acima da média da região. No entanto, estudos sobre intermediários financeiros, principalmente em instituições de micro finanças, ainda são poucos para contextos de mercados emergentes. A literatura também demonstra a importância dos intermediários financeiros, bem como uma série de fricções financeiras em suas atividades de provisão de liquidez como agentes econômicos. Ao respeito disso, este estudo tem como objetivo identificar se os intermediários financeiros no Peru enfrentam restrições de financiamento, sando um choque quase exógeno (mudança de regulação), que aumentou o escopo de operações de crédito de intermediários de pequeno porte, comparando-as aos bancos, que não foram afetados pela medida regulatória. A amostra utilizada é o universo de intermediários financeiros peruanos entre 2004 e 2014. Os resultados encontrados no modelo Diff-in-Diff, indicam que os intermediários financeiros pequenos, são financeiramente restritos, uma vez que o seu custo de captação aumenta em relação ao dos bancos após o choque regulatório . Os resultados sugerem que o custo dos depósitos tem um papel importante num contexto de expansão de crédito num mercado emergente. Esses resultados evidenciam a existência de fricções nos mercados financeiros de uma economia emergente.