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Economic policy uncertainty and corporate investment: Evidence from China

Author

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  • Wang, Yizhong
  • Chen, Carl R.
  • Huang, Ying Sophie

Abstract

This paper studies how economic policy uncertainty influences corporate investment for Chinese listed companies. We show that when the degree of economic policy uncertainty is higher, firms stand to lower their investment and vice versa. However, firms that have higher return on invested capital, use more internal finance and are not state-owned mitigate the negative effect of policy uncertainty on corporate investment. Moreover, firms in regions with higher degree of marketization are more sensitive to the economic policy uncertainty. The evidence illustrates that keeping the transparency and stability of the implementation of economic policies can improve corporate investment efficiency.

Suggested Citation

  • Wang, Yizhong & Chen, Carl R. & Huang, Ying Sophie, 2014. "Economic policy uncertainty and corporate investment: Evidence from China," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 26(C), pages 227-243.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:pacfin:v:26:y:2014:i:c:p:227-243
    DOI: 10.1016/j.pacfin.2013.12.008
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Economic uncertainty; Policy uncertainty; Corporate investment; China;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G32 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Financing Policy; Financial Risk and Risk Management; Capital and Ownership Structure; Value of Firms; Goodwill
    • D80 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - General
    • E22 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Investment; Capital; Intangible Capital; Capacity
    • E60 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Macroeconomic Policy, Macroeconomic Aspects of Public Finance, and General Outlook - - - General
    • G18 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Government Policy and Regulation

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