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Regional variation in the capital structure adjustment speed of listed firms: Evidence from China

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  • Mai, Yong
  • Meng, Lei
  • Ye, Zhiqiang

Abstract

This paper investigates whether in China, a country large in size, geographically diverse and imbalanced in regional economic development, variation in firm capital structure11Capital structure=total debt/(total debt+market equity), It stands for a firm's leverage ratio. is systematically related to regional economic environment. In addition, we examine whether during macroeconomic recovery there is significant difference in the speed of adjustment in capital structure of firms located in different regions. The empirical analyses are based on 783 firms listed on Shanghai and Shenzhen Stock Exchanges during a sample period of year 2000 through 2014. Using GMM and Logit QMLE, we found strong evidence that the regional variation in the capital structure of listed firms is linked to growth indicator (the Market-to-Book value, MB), EBIT ratio, size of the firm and tangible assets (the value of Net Property, Plant and Equipment, PPE). In the process of economic recovery, there was apparent regional variation in the speed of adjustment in capital structure, i.e. the fastest adjustment in capital structure was found in East China while that of West China followed and that of Mid China the slowest, that is to say within a given period the leverage ratio of listed firms in East China rises or falls faster than in the other two regions.

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  • Mai, Yong & Meng, Lei & Ye, Zhiqiang, 2017. "Regional variation in the capital structure adjustment speed of listed firms: Evidence from China," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 64(C), pages 288-294.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecmode:v:64:y:2017:i:c:p:288-294
    DOI: 10.1016/j.econmod.2017.03.028
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    3. Sultan Sikandar Mirza & Tanveer Ahsan & Raheel Safdar & Ajid Ur Rehman, 2020. "Competition, Debt Maturity, and Adjustment Speed in China: A Dynamic Fractional Estimation Approach," JRFM, MDPI, vol. 13(5), pages 1-17, May.
    4. Zhang, Jianhua & Zhao, Zhao & Jian, Wenqing, 2020. "Do cash flow imbalances facilitate leverage adjustments of Chinese listed firms? Evidence from a dynamic panel threshold model," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 89(C), pages 201-214.
    5. Miglo, Anton, 2021. "A New Capital Structure Theory: The Four-Factor Model," MPRA Paper 105102, University Library of Munich, Germany.
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    8. Elena Alexandra Nenu & Georgeta Vintilă & Ştefan Cristian Gherghina, 2018. "The Impact of Capital Structure on Risk and Firm Performance: Empirical Evidence for the Bucharest Stock Exchange Listed Companies," IJFS, MDPI, vol. 6(2), pages 1-29, April.
    9. Ripamonti, Alexandre, 2019. "Capital Structure Adjustments and Asymmetric Information," MPRA Paper 96936, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    10. Obaid Ur Rehman & Xiaoxing Liu & Kai Wu & Junfeng Li, 2023. "Customer concentration, leverage adjustments, and firm value," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 63(2), pages 2035-2079, June.
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    G30; G32; Listed firms; Capital structure; Speed of adjustment; Regional variation;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G30 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - General
    • G32 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Financing Policy; Financial Risk and Risk Management; Capital and Ownership Structure; Value of Firms; Goodwill

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