Does Stock Market Liquidity Matter? Evidence from Seasoned Equity Offerings

Abstract:     
This paper presents empirical evidence that stock market liquidity is an important determinant of the cost of raising external capital. Because the role of an investment banking syndicate in a public security offering is analogous to that of a block trader, investment banks should charge lower fees to firms with more liquid securities. Using a large sample of seasoned equity offerings, we find that, ceteris paribus, investment banks' fees are significantly lower for firms with more liquid stock. We estimate that the difference in the investment banking fee for firms in the most liquid quintile versus the least liquid quintile, controlling for other factors, is approximately 107 basis points, which represents about 22.3 percent of the average investment banking fee in our sample. Our findings suggest that firms have an incentive to promote the market liquidity of their equity.

Working Paper Series