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Do sovereign credit ratings matter for foreign direct investments?

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  • Cai, Peilin
  • Gan, Quan
  • Kim, Suk-Joong

Abstract

This paper examines the relationship between sovereign credit ratings and FDI flows from 31 OECD donor countries to 72 recipient (OECD and non-OECD) countries over the period of 1985–2012. There are three main findings in the paper. First, sovereign credit ratings of both donor and recipient countries are important drivers of bilateral FDI flows. FDIs in general flow from low-rated donor countries to high-rated recipient countries. Second, an OECD recipient receives more FDIs when its credit rating is high, whereas a non-OECD recipient receives more FDIs when its credit rating is low. Third, countries receive more FDIs when their geographic region has a higher average credit rating compared to other regions.

Suggested Citation

  • Cai, Peilin & Gan, Quan & Kim, Suk-Joong, 2018. "Do sovereign credit ratings matter for foreign direct investments?," Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, Elsevier, vol. 55(C), pages 50-64.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:intfin:v:55:y:2018:i:c:p:50-64
    DOI: 10.1016/j.intfin.2018.01.003
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    2. Arogundade, Sodiq & Biyase, Mduduzi & Eita, Joel Hinaunye, 2022. "Do Sovereign Credit Ratings Matter for Foreign Direct Investment: Evidence from Sub-Sahara African Countries," MPRA Paper 115404, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    3. Hasan, Iftekhar & Kim, Suk-Joong & Politsidis, Panagiotis N. & Wu, Eliza, 2021. "Loan syndication under Basel II: How do firm credit ratings affect the cost of credit?," Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, Elsevier, vol. 72(C).
    4. Korzeb, Zbigniew & Niedziółka, Paweł & Nistor, Simona, 2023. "Sovereign creditworthiness and bank foreign ownership. An empirical investigation of the European banking sector," Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, Elsevier, vol. 89(C).
    5. Montes, Gabriel Caldas & Maia, João Pedro Neves, 2023. "Who speaks louder, financial instruments or credit rating agencies? Analyzing the effects of different sovereign risk measures on interest rates in Brazil," The North American Journal of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 67(C).
    6. Athari, Seyed Alireza & Kondoz, Mehmet & Kirikkaleli, Dervis, 2021. "Dependency between sovereign credit ratings and economic risk: Insight from Balkan countries," Journal of Economics and Business, Elsevier, vol. 116(C).
    7. Vu, Huong & Alsakka, Rasha & ap Gwilym, Owain, 2022. "Does competition improve sovereign credit rating quality?," Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, Elsevier, vol. 76(C).
    8. Altdörfer, Marc & De las Salas Vega, Carlos A. & Guettler, Andre & Löffler, Gunter, 2019. "The case for a European rating agency: Evidence from the Eurozone sovereign debt crisis," Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, Elsevier, vol. 58(C), pages 1-18.
    9. Diego Silveira Pacheco de Oliveira & Gabriel Caldas Montes, 2020. "Sovereign credit news and disagreement in expectations about the exchange rate: evidence from Brazil," Journal of Economic Studies, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 48(3), pages 660-698, August.
    10. Montes, Gabriel Caldas & Valladares, Matheus & de Moraes, Claudio Oliveira, 2021. "Impacts of the sovereign risk perception on financial stability: Evidence from Brazil," The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 81(C), pages 358-369.
    11. Kellard, Neil M. & Kontonikas, Alexandros & Lamla, Michael J. & Maiani, Stefano & Wood, Geoffrey, 2022. "Risk, financial stability and FDI," Journal of International Money and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 120(C).
    12. Sahibzada, Irfan Ullah & Rizwan, Muhammad Suhail & Qureshi, Anum, 2022. "Impact of sovereign credit ratings on systemic risk and the moderating role of regulatory reforms: An international investigation," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 145(C).
    13. Cuadros-Solas, Pedro Jesús & Salvador Muñoz, Carlos, 2022. "Disentangling the sources of sovereign rating adjustments: An examination of changes in rating policies following the GFC," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 59(C).
    14. De,Supriyo & Mohapatra,Sanket & Ratha,Dilip K., 2020. "Sovereign Credit Ratings, Relative Risk Ratings, and Private Capital Flows," Policy Research Working Paper Series 9401, The World Bank.
    15. Montes, Gabriel Caldas & Nicolay, Rodolfo & Pereira, Flavio, 2022. "Does fiscal sentiment matter for sovereign risk?," The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 86(C), pages 18-30.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    FDI; Sovereign credit rating; Regional rating effect;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F30 - International Economics - - International Finance - - - General
    • G15 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - International Financial Markets

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