Monetary policy effects on investment spending: a firm‐level study of Malaysia

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of monetary policy transmission mechanism channel on firms' investment spending. The focal point is to investigate the differential of monetary policy effects across sub‐sector firms' investment by examining the role of interest rates, and broad credit channel of monetary transmission. Design/methodology/approach - The following research design has been employed in examining the relevance of both monetary policy channels. First, the firm user cost of capital as a proxy for the interest rates channel is constructed. Second, the neoclassical model of firm‐level investment function has been estimated using the dynamic panel data technique. Findings - The results revealed that the monetary policy transmission mechanism works through both interest rate, and broad credit channels in influencing firms' investment spending in the Malaysian economy. Monetary policy has heterogeneous effects in respect of sub‐sectors of the economy. In the long‐run, the firm investment in the consumer products and services sectors are significantly affected by the interest rate and broad credit channels. However, the firm investment in the industrial products and property sectors has only been significantly affected by interest rates and broad credit channel, respectively. Originality/value - The empirical results provide new evidence on the microeconomic effects of monetary policy in a small open economy (i.e. Malaysia) in two dimensions. First, this finding has supported the relevance of interest rates and broad credit channel of monetary transmission in a small open economy. Second, monetary policy effects are also heterogeneous by sub‐sectors of the economy, as some sectors (for example, consumer products, industrial products, and services) are significantly affected by monetary policy, and other sub‐sectors (for example, property) are not affected.