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Understanding US firm efficiency and its asset pricing implications

Author

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  • Giovanni Calice

    (Loughborough University)

  • Levent Kutlu

    (University of Texas Rio Grande Valley)

  • Ming Zeng

    (University of Gothenburg)

Abstract

We investigate the links between firm-level total factor productivity (TFP) growth and technical efficiency change, and their implications on firm-level stock returns. We estimate TFP growth of US firms between 1966 and 2015 and decompose TFP growth into returns to scale, technical progress, and technical efficiency change components. We show that most of the variation in TFP growth is explained by variation in technical efficiency change. Moreover, we examine the effects of important macro- and micro-level factors on inefficiency as well as its asset pricing implications. We find that low-efficiency firms are more vulnerable to a wide class of aggregate economic shocks, and the well-known five stock return anomalies (Fama and French in J Financ Econ 116(1):1–22, 2015) are more pronounced among those firms. Our results also emphasize the role of macroeconomic determinants of efficiency, and the stability effects of many useful policy targets on firm-level TFP.

Suggested Citation

  • Giovanni Calice & Levent Kutlu & Ming Zeng, 2021. "Understanding US firm efficiency and its asset pricing implications," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 60(2), pages 803-827, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:empeco:v:60:y:2021:i:2:d:10.1007_s00181-019-01775-5
    DOI: 10.1007/s00181-019-01775-5
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    Cited by:

    1. Kutlu, Levent & Nair-Reichert, Usha, 2022. "Executive compensation and the potential for additional efficiency gains: Evidence from the Indian manufacturing sector," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 114(C).
    2. Hazarika, Gautam & Khraiche, Maroula & Kutlu, Levent, 2023. "Gender Equity in Labor Market Opportunities and Aggregate Technical Efficiency: A Case of Equity Promoting Efficiency," IZA Discussion Papers 16096, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    3. Pan, Junyu & Cifuentes-Faura, Javier & Zhao, Xin & Liu, Xiaoqian, 2024. "Unlocking the impact of digital technology progress and entry dynamics on firm's total factor productivity in Chinese industries," Global Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 60(C).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Asset prices; Efficiency; Frictions; Stock return anomalies; Total factor productivity;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D22 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Firm Behavior: Empirical Analysis
    • D24 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Production; Cost; Capital; Capital, Total Factor, and Multifactor Productivity; Capacity
    • G12 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Asset Pricing; Trading Volume; Bond Interest Rates

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