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Leverage Dynamics Over the Business Cycle


Michael Halling


Stockholm School of Economics - Department of Finance; University of Utah

Jin Yu


University of New South Wales (UNSW) - School of Banking and Finance; Financial Research Network (FIRN)

Josef Zechner


Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration

October 24, 2012

AFA 2012 Chicago Meetings Paper

Abstract:     
This paper analyzes the business cycle dynamics of leverage using a comprehensive, international sample. For the full sample, target leverage ratios increase and speeds of adjustment towards the target decrease during recessions. These effects vary substantially across institutional settings. Firms in common law countries and with relatively high debtholder protection exhibit decreasing target leverage and a much smaller drop in the speed of adjustment in recessions. Leverage dynamics are largely not caused by changing firm characteristics but by their changing effects on firm policies. The results document that both demand and supply effects are important for capital structure.

Number of Pages in PDF File: 60

Keywords: Empirical Corporate Finance, Capital Structure Dynamics, Business Cycle Variation

JEL Classification: G32, G15

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Date posted: February 15, 2011 ; Last revised: October 24, 2012

Suggested Citation

Halling, Michael, Yu, Jin and Zechner, Josef, Leverage Dynamics Over the Business Cycle (October 24, 2012). AFA 2012 Chicago Meetings Paper. Available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=1762289 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1762289

Contact Information

Michael Halling
Stockholm School of Economics - Department of Finance ( email )
SE-113 83 Stockholm
Sweden
University of Utah ( email )
David Eccles School of Business
Salt Lake City, UT 84112
United States
HOME PAGE: http://www.business.utah.edu/~finmh
Jin Yu
University of New South Wales (UNSW) - School of Banking and Finance ( email )
School of Banking and Finance
Australian School of Business
Sydney, NSW 2052
Australia
HOME PAGE: http://www.asb.unsw.edu.au/schools/Pages/JinYu.aspx
Financial Research Network (FIRN)
C/- University of Queensland Business School
St Lucia, 4071 Brisbane
Queensland
Australia
HOME PAGE: http://www.firn.org.au

Josef Zechner (Contact Author)
Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration ( email )
Heiligenstaedter Strasse 46
Vienna, Wien A-1019
Austria
Feedback to SSRN (Beta)


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