Flexible Prices and Leverage
77 Pages Posted: 28 Feb 2017
There are 4 versions of this paper
Flexible Prices and Leverage
Flexible Prices and Leverage
Flexible Prices and Leverage
Flexible Prices and Leverage
Date Written: February 09, 2017
Abstract
The frequency with which firms adjust output prices helps explain persistent differences in capital structure across firms. Unconditionally, the most exible-price firms have a 19% higher long-term leverage ratio than the most sticky-price firms, controlling for known determinants of capital structure. Sticky-price firms increased leverage more than exible-price firms following the staggered implementation of the Interstate Banking and Branching Efficiency Act across states and over time, which we use in a difference-in-differences strategy. Firms’ frequency of price adjustment did not change around the deregulation.
Keywords: capital structure, nominal rigidities, bank deregulation, industrial organization and finance, price setting, bankruptcy
JEL Classification: E120, E440, G280, G320, G330
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