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Macroeconomic uncertainty, corporate governance and corporate capital structure

Author

Listed:
  • Yee Peng Chow
  • Junaina Muhammad
  • A.N. Bany-Ariffin
  • Fan Fah Cheng

Abstract

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to examine how corporate governance moderates the relationship between macroeconomic uncertainty and corporate capital structure. Design/methodology/approach - This paper employs the two-step system generalized method of moments regression, considering a sample of 907 listed non-financial firms from seven Asia Pacific countries during the period 2004-2014. Findings - This study finds that macroeconomic uncertainty has a significant negative impact on the capital structure decisions of firms. The results also reveal that the overall effect of macroeconomic uncertainty on capital structure among firms with better governance quality is significantly negative. The evidence suggests that corporate governance acts as an effective mechanism to curb the usage of leverage during times of high volatility. Further analysis shows that board independence, the separation between the roles of CEO and chairman of the board and blockholders’ ownership are effective governance mechanisms, whereas similar observations do not hold for board size and institutional ownership. Research limitations/implications - The findings of this study may be useful to policy makers to formulate appropriate policies to mitigate the adverse effects caused by macroeconomic uncertainty. This is important because macroeconomic uncertainty may have potential destabilizing effects on a country’s or region’s development by jeopardizing the firms’ ability to formulate sound investment, production and financing decisions. Additionally, the results suggest that good governance quality can act as a check and balance to ensure that firms use less leverage when they are facing volatility in the macroeconomic environment. These findings could help to reinforce the importance of good governance among policy makers of a country as well as managers of firms. Originality/value - The authors make the first attempt to examine the moderating effect of corporate governance on the relationship between macroeconomic uncertainty and corporate capital structure.

Suggested Citation

  • Yee Peng Chow & Junaina Muhammad & A.N. Bany-Ariffin & Fan Fah Cheng, 2018. "Macroeconomic uncertainty, corporate governance and corporate capital structure," International Journal of Managerial Finance, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 14(3), pages 301-321, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:eme:ijmfpp:ijmf-08-2017-0156
    DOI: 10.1108/IJMF-08-2017-0156
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Chow, Yee Peng & Muhammad, Junaina & Bany-Ariffin, A.N. & Cheng, Fan Fah, 2019. "Macroeconomic Uncertainty and Corporate Capital Structure: Evidence from the Asia Pacific Region," Jurnal Ekonomi Malaysia, Faculty of Economics and Business, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, vol. 53(2), pages 99-122.
    2. Mustafa Avcın, 2024. "The impact of justified corporate governance changes against exchange rate exposure in North Cyprus," International Journal of Finance & Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 29(2), pages 1947-1971, April.
    3. Tong, Chen & Huang, Zhuo & Wang, Tianyi & Zhang, Cong, 2023. "The effects of economic uncertainty on financial volatility: A comprehensive investigation," Journal of Empirical Finance, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 369-389.
    4. Bouteska, Ahmed & Sharif, Taimur & Hajek, Petr & Abedin, Mohammad Zoynul, 2024. "Aversion and ambiguity: On the robustness of the macroeconomic uncertainty measure framework," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 203(C).
    5. Chu Wang & Char-Lee Lok & Lian Kee Phua, 2023. "Ownership Structure and Capital Structure: Moderating Effect of Product Market Maturity," SAGE Open, , vol. 13(4), pages 21582440231, December.
    6. Jia Jia Hing & Yee Peng Chow, 2022. "Influence of institutional investor heterogeneity on stock liquidity and its underlying liquidity channels," International Journal of Business and Emerging Markets, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 14(3), pages 252-278.
    7. Mohammad Nayeem Abdullah & Emon Kalyan Chowdhury & Rahat Bari Tooheen, 2022. "Determinants of capital structure in banking sector: a Bangladesh perspective," SN Business & Economics, Springer, vol. 2(12), pages 1-19, December.
    8. Muhammad Arif Khan & Xuezhi Qin & Khalil Jebran, 2020. "Uncertainty and leverage nexus: does trade credit matter?," Eurasian Business Review, Springer;Eurasia Business and Economics Society, vol. 10(3), pages 355-389, September.
    9. Aly Saad Mohamed Dawood & Mahmoud Otaify, 2021. "Target Capital Structure of Egyptian Listed Firms: Importance of Growth and Risk Factors," International Journal of Financial Research, International Journal of Financial Research, Sciedu Press, vol. 12(1), pages 158-173, January.
    10. Abdul Aziz Khan Niazi & Tehmina Fiaz Qazi & Abdul Basit, 2019. "Remedy for One Size Fit to All: A Flexible Corporate Governance Model to Accommodate Sectoral Technicalities," Bulletin of Business and Economics (BBE), Research Foundation for Humanity (RFH), vol. 8(4), pages 223-229, December.
    11. Ali Amin & Ramiz ur Rehman & Rizwan Ali & Ridzwana Mohd Said, 2022. "Corporate Governance and Capital Structure: Moderating Effect of Gender Diversity," SAGE Open, , vol. 12(1), pages 21582440221, March.
    12. Umar Farooq & Mosab I. Tabash & Basem Hamouri & Linda Nalini Daniel & Samir K. Safi, 2023. "Nexus between Macroeconomic Factors and Corporate Investment: Empirical Evidence from GCC Markets," IJFS, MDPI, vol. 11(1), pages 1-15, February.
    13. Rishi Kapoor Ronoowah & Boopendra Seetanah, 2023. "Corporate governance, capital structure, and firm performance: a panel VAR approach," SN Business & Economics, Springer, vol. 3(1), pages 1-30, January.
    14. Wan Shah Shahdila-Shahar & Noryati Ahmad & Mohamad Nizam Jaafar, 2020. "Impacts of CEO’s Overconfidence in Financing Decisions on Shariah-Compliant Firms Listed on the Bursa Malaysia تأثيرات ثقة المدير التنفيذي في قرارات التمويل على الشركات المتوافقة مع الشريعة الإسلامية ," Journal of King Abdulaziz University: Islamic Economics, King Abdulaziz University, Islamic Economics Institute., vol. 33(1), pages 117-131, January.
    15. Ahmed Imran Hunjra & Peter Verhoeven & Qasim Zureigat, 2020. "Capital Structure as a Mediating Factor in the Relationship between Uncertainty, CSR, Stakeholder Interest and Financial Performance," JRFM, MDPI, vol. 13(6), pages 1-18, June.
    16. Zhang, Wenwen & Chiu, Yi-Bin, 2023. "Country risks, government subsidies, and Chinese renewable energy firm performance: New evidence from a quantile regression," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 119(C).
    17. Ravindra N. Shukla & Vishal Vyas & Animesh Chaturvedi, 2024. "Leverage adjustment analytics: effect of Covid-19 crisis on financial adjustments of Indian firms," Journal of Economics and Finance, Springer;Academy of Economics and Finance, vol. 48(2), pages 513-543, June.
    18. Muhammad Arif Khan & Xuezhi Qin & Khalil Jebran & Abdul Rashid, 2020. "The Sensitivity of Firms’ Investment to Uncertainty and Cash Flow: Evidence From Listed State-Owned Enterprises and Non-State-Owned Enterprises in China," SAGE Open, , vol. 10(1), pages 21582440209, January.
    19. Ömer Tuğsal Doruk, 2022. "The link between exchange rate volatility and capital structure under financial liberalization: evidence from the Turkish manufacturing sector," Eurasian Business Review, Springer;Eurasia Business and Economics Society, vol. 12(3), pages 583-615, September.

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