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Does Trade Credit Substitute Bank Credit? Evidence from Firm‐level Data

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  • Guido de Blasio

Abstract

The paper examines micro data on Italian manufacturing firms’ inventory behaviour to test the Meltzer (1960) hypothesis according to which firms substitute bank credit with trade credit (TC) during money tightening. We find that inventory investment of Italian manufacturing firms is constrained by their availability of TC and that this effect more than doubles during monetary restrictions. As for the magnitude of the substitution effect, however, we find that it is not sizeable. This is in line with the micro theories of TC and the evidence on actual firm practices, according to which credit terms display modest variations over time.

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  • Guido de Blasio, 2005. "Does Trade Credit Substitute Bank Credit? Evidence from Firm‐level Data," Economic Notes, Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena SpA, vol. 34(1), pages 85-112, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:ecnote:v:34:y:2005:i:1:p:85-112
    DOI: 10.1111/j.0391-5026.2005.00145.x
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    6. Falavigna, Greta & Ippoliti, Roberto, 2023. "SMEs’ behavior under financial constraints: An empirical investigation on the legal environment and the substitution effect with tax arrears," The North American Journal of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 66(C).
    7. Dottori, Davide & Micucci, Giacinto & Sigalotti, Laura, 2024. "Trade debts and bank lending in years of crisis," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 92(C).
    8. Pablo Cotler, 2013. "Does Trade Credit Say Anything about banking Credit?," Working Papers 0113, Universidad Iberoamericana, Department of Economics.
    9. Seifert, Daniel & Seifert, Ralf W. & Protopappa-Sieke, Margarita, 2013. "A review of trade credit literature: Opportunities for research in operations," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 231(2), pages 245-256.
    10. Ferrando, Annalisa & Mulier, Klaas, 2013. "Do firms use the trade credit channel to manage growth?," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 37(8), pages 3035-3046.
    11. Simona Mateut, 2005. "Trade Credit and Monetary Policy Transmission," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 19(4), pages 655-670, September.
    12. Mariarosaria Agostino & Francesca Gagliardi & Francesco Trivieri, 2010. "Credit market structure and bank screening," Review of Financial Economics, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 19(4), pages 151-160, October.
    13. Al-Hadi, Ahmed & Al-Abri, Almukhtar, 2022. "Firm-level trade credit responses to COVID-19-induced monetary and fiscal policies: International evidence," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 60(C).
    14. Eugenio Gaiotti, 2011. "Credit availability and investment in Italy: lessons from the "Great Recession"," Temi di discussione (Economic working papers) 793, Bank of Italy, Economic Research and International Relations Area.
    15. Pinar Ozlu & Cihan Yalcin, 2010. "The Trade Credit Channel of Monetary Policy Transmission: Evidence from Non-Financial Firms in Turkey (Firma Ticari Borclari ve Kredi Aktarim Mekanizmasi: Turkiye Ornegi)," Working Papers 1016, Research and Monetary Policy Department, Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey.
    16. Ignacio Munyo, 2004. "The Determinants of Capital Structure: Evidence from an Economy without Stock Market," Econometric Society 2004 Latin American Meetings 267, Econometric Society.
    17. Altunok, Fatih & Mitchell, Karlyn & Pearce, Douglas K., 2020. "The trade credit channel and monetary policy transmission: Empirical evidence from U.S. panel data," The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 226-250.
    18. Greta Falavigna & Roberto Ippoliti, 2022. "Financial constraints, investments, and environmental strategies: An empirical analysis of judicial barriers," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(5), pages 2002-2018, July.
    19. Galya Taseva, 2012. "Overdue Intercorporate Debts in Bulgaria," Economic Thought journal, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences - Economic Research Institute, issue 3, pages 76-94.
    20. Bhat Ramesh, 2004. "Substitution of trade credit for bank credit: empirical study of financing behaviour of Indian," IIMA Working Papers WP2004-05-08, Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad, Research and Publication Department.
    21. Gaiotti, Eugenio, 2013. "Credit availability and investment: Lessons from the “great recession”," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 212-227.

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