IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/arx/papers/1810.03501.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Dividend Policy and Capital Structure of a Defaultable Firm

Author

Listed:
  • Alex S. L. Tse

Abstract

Default risk significantly affects the corporate policies of a firm. We develop a model in which a limited liability entity subject to Poisson default shock jointly sets its dividend policy and capital structure to maximize the expected lifetime utility from consumption of risk averse equity investors. We give a complete characterization of the solution to the singular stochastic control problem. The optimal policy involves paying dividends to keep the ratio of firm's equity value to investors' wealth below a critical threshold. Dividend payout acts as a precautionary channel to transfer wealth from the firm to investors for mitigation of losses in the event of default. Higher the default risk, more aggressively the firm leverages and pays dividends.

Suggested Citation

  • Alex S. L. Tse, 2018. "Dividend Policy and Capital Structure of a Defaultable Firm," Papers 1810.03501, arXiv.org.
    • Handle: RePEc:arx:papers:1810.03501
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://arxiv.org/pdf/1810.03501
    File Function: Latest version
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Monique Jeanblanc & Peter Lakner & Ashay Kadam, 2004. "Optimal Bankruptcy Time and Consumption/Investment Policies on an Infinite Horizon with a Continuous Debt Repayment Until Bankruptcy," Mathematics of Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 29(3), pages 649-671, August.
    2. Harris, Milton & Raviv, Artur, 1991. "The Theory of Capital Structure," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 46(1), pages 297-355, March.
    3. David Hobson & Alex S. L. Tse & Yeqi Zhu, 2016. "A multi-asset investment and consumption problem with transaction costs," Papers 1612.01327, arXiv.org.
    4. Merton, Robert C., 1971. "Optimum consumption and portfolio rules in a continuous-time model," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 3(4), pages 373-413, December.
    5. Bart M. Lambrecht & Stewart C. Myers, 2017. "The Dynamics of Investment, Payout and Debt," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 30(11), pages 3759-3800.
    6. Richard, Scott F., 1975. "Optimal consumption, portfolio and life insurance rules for an uncertain lived individual in a continuous time model," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 2(2), pages 187-203, June.
    7. Radner, Roy & Shepp, Larry, 1996. "Risk vs. profit potential: A model for corporate strategy," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 20(8), pages 1373-1393, August.
    8. Merton, Robert C, 1969. "Lifetime Portfolio Selection under Uncertainty: The Continuous-Time Case," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 51(3), pages 247-257, August.
    9. Sid Browne, 1997. "Survival and Growth with a Liability: Optimal Portfolio Strategies in Continuous Time," Mathematics of Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 22(2), pages 468-493, May.
    10. Bart M. Lambrecht & Stewart C. Myers, 2012. "A Lintner Model of Payout and Managerial Rents," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 67(5), pages 1761-1810, October.
    11. Magill, Michael J. P. & Constantinides, George M., 1976. "Portfolio selection with transactions costs," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 13(2), pages 245-263, October.
    12. M. H. A. Davis & A. R. Norman, 1990. "Portfolio Selection with Transaction Costs," Mathematics of Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 15(4), pages 676-713, November.
    13. Pliska, Stanley R. & Ye, Jinchun, 2007. "Optimal life insurance purchase and consumption/investment under uncertain lifetime," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 31(5), pages 1307-1319, May.
    14. Merton H. Miller & Franco Modigliani, 1961. "Dividend Policy, Growth, and the Valuation of Shares," The Journal of Business, University of Chicago Press, vol. 34, pages 411-411.
    15. Bjarne Hø Jgaard & Michael Taksar, 1999. "Controlling Risk Exposure and Dividends Payout Schemes:Insurance Company Example," Mathematical Finance, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 9(2), pages 153-182, April.
    16. Michael I. Taksar, 2000. "Optimal risk and dividend distribution control models for an insurance company," Mathematical Methods of Operations Research, Springer;Gesellschaft für Operations Research (GOR);Nederlands Genootschap voor Besliskunde (NGB), vol. 51(1), pages 1-42, February.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Alex S. L. Tse, 2020. "Dividend policy and capital structure of a defaultable firm," Mathematical Finance, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(3), pages 961-994, July.
    2. Arandjelović, Aleksandar & Kingston, Geoffrey & Shevchenko, Pavel V., 2023. "Life cycle insurance, bequest motives and annuity loads," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 157(C).
    3. Aleksandar Arandjelovi'c & Geoffrey Kingston & Pavel V. Shevchenko, 2023. "Life cycle insurance, bequest motives and annuity loads," Papers 2310.06274, arXiv.org.
    4. Jan Kallsen & Johannes Muhle-Karbe, 2013. "The General Structure of Optimal Investment and Consumption with Small Transaction Costs," Papers 1303.3148, arXiv.org, revised May 2015.
    5. Xinfu Chen & Min Dai & Wei Jiang & Cong Qin, 2022. "Asymptotic analysis of long‐term investment with two illiquid and correlated assets," Mathematical Finance, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 32(4), pages 1133-1169, October.
    6. Ali Al-Aradi & Sebastian Jaimungal, 2018. "Outperformance and Tracking: Dynamic Asset Allocation for Active and Passive Portfolio Management," Papers 1803.05819, arXiv.org, revised Jul 2018.
    7. Baojun Bian & Xinfu Chen & Min Dai & Shuaijie Qian, 2021. "Penalty method for portfolio selection with capital gains tax," Mathematical Finance, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(3), pages 1013-1055, July.
    8. Dai, Min & Wang, Hefei & Yang, Zhou, 2012. "Leverage management in a bull–bear switching market," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 36(10), pages 1585-1599.
    9. de-Paz, Albert & Marín-Solano, Jesús & Navas, Jorge & Roch, Oriol, 2014. "Consumption, investment and life insurance strategies with heterogeneous discounting," Insurance: Mathematics and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 66-75.
    10. I. Duarte & Diogo Pinheiro & Alberto A. Pinto & S. R. Pliska, 2011. "Optimal life insurance purchase, consumption and investment on a financial market with multi-dimensional diffusive terms," CEMAPRE Working Papers 1102, Centre for Applied Mathematics and Economics (CEMAPRE), School of Economics and Management (ISEG), Technical University of Lisbon.
    11. Christoph Hambel & Holger Kraft & Lorenz S. Schendel & Mogens Steffensen, 2017. "Life Insurance Demand Under Health Shock Risk," Journal of Risk & Insurance, The American Risk and Insurance Association, vol. 84(4), pages 1171-1202, December.
    12. Chellathurai, Thamayanthi & Draviam, Thangaraj, 2007. "Dynamic portfolio selection with fixed and/or proportional transaction costs using non-singular stochastic optimal control theory," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 31(7), pages 2168-2195, July.
    13. Pelsser, Antoon A.J. & Laeven, Roger J.A., 2013. "Optimal dividends and ALM under unhedgeable risk," Insurance: Mathematics and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 53(3), pages 515-523.
    14. Ali Al-Aradi & Sebastian Jaimungal, 2018. "Outperformance and Tracking: Dynamic Asset Allocation for Active and Passive Portfolio Management," Applied Mathematical Finance, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 25(3), pages 268-294, May.
    15. Ye, Jinchun, 2019. "Stochastic utilities with subsistence and satiation: Optimal life insurance purchase, consumption and investment," Insurance: Mathematics and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 89(C), pages 193-212.
    16. Hambel, Christoph, 2020. "Health shock risk, critical illness insurance, and housing services," Insurance: Mathematics and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 91(C), pages 111-128.
    17. Hung-Hsi Huang & David Jou, 2009. "Multiperiod dynamic investment for a generalized situation," Applied Financial Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 19(21), pages 1761-1766.
    18. Mousa, A.S. & Pinheiro, D. & Pinto, A.A., 2016. "Optimal life-insurance selection and purchase within a market of several life-insurance providers," Insurance: Mathematics and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 67(C), pages 133-141.
    19. Ali Al-Aradi & Sebastian Jaimungal, 2019. "Active and Passive Portfolio Management with Latent Factors," Papers 1903.06928, arXiv.org.
    20. Guambe, Calisto & Kufakunesu, Rodwell, 2015. "A note on optimal investment–consumption–insurance in a Lévy market," Insurance: Mathematics and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 65(C), pages 30-36.

    More about this item

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:arx:papers:1810.03501. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: arXiv administrators (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://arxiv.org/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.