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Financial flexibility across the euro area and the UK

Author

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  • Ferrando, Annalisa
  • Marchica, Maria-Teresa
  • Mura, Roberto

Abstract

We use a large database of more than 685,000 European firms to show that financial flexibility attained through conservative leverage policies is more important for private, small, medium-sized and young firms and for firms in countries with lower access to credit and weaker investor protection. Further, using the recent financial crisis as a natural experiment, we show that financial flexibility status allows companies to reduce the negative impact of liquidity shocks on their investment decisions. Our findings support the hypothesis that financial flexibility relates to companies JEL Classification: G31, G32, D92

Suggested Citation

  • Ferrando, Annalisa & Marchica, Maria-Teresa & Mura, Roberto, 2014. "Financial flexibility across the euro area and the UK," Working Paper Series 1630, European Central Bank.
    • Handle: RePEc:ecb:ecbwps:20141630
    Note: 235236
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    Cited by:

    1. Hiona Balfoussia & Heather D. Gibson, 2019. "Firm investment and financial conditions in the euro area: evidence from firm-level data," Applied Economics Letters, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 26(2), pages 104-110, January.
    2. Girardi, Alessandro & Ventura, Marco & Margani, Patrizia, 2018. "An Indicator of Credit Crunch using Italian Business Surveys," MPRA Paper 88839, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    3. Bartz, Wiebke & Winkler, Adalbert, 2016. "Flexible or fragile? The growth performance of small and young businesses during the global financial crisis — Evidence from Germany," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 31(2), pages 196-215.
    4. Giorgio Calcagnini & Annalisa Ferrando & Germana Giombini, 2015. "Multiple market imperfections, firm profitability and investment," European Journal of Law and Economics, Springer, vol. 40(1), pages 95-120, August.
    5. Marie Finnegan & Supriya Kapoor, 2023. "ECB unconventional monetary policy and SME access to finance," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 61(3), pages 1253-1288, October.
    6. Yung, Kenneth & Li, DeQing Diane & Jian, Yi, 2015. "The value of corporate financial flexibility in emerging countries," Journal of Multinational Financial Management, Elsevier, vol. 32, pages 25-41.
    7. Gregory, Richard P., 2020. "Political risk and financial flexibility in BRICS countries," The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 166-174.
    8. Trinh, Q. Long & Morgan, Peter J. & Sonobe, Tetsushi, 2020. "Investment behavior of MSMEs during the downturn periods: Empirical evidence from Vietnam," Emerging Markets Review, Elsevier, vol. 45(C).
    9. Lambrinoudakis, Costas & Skiadopoulos, George & Gkionis, Konstantinos, 2019. "Capital structure and financial flexibility: Expectations of future shocks," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 104(C), pages 1-18.
    10. Ferrando, Annalisa & Altomonte, Carlo & Blank, Sven & Meinen, Philipp & Iudice, Matteo & Felt, Marie-Hélène & Neugebauer, Katja & Siedschlag, Iulia, 2015. "Assessing the financial and financing conditions of firms in Europe: the financial module in CompNet," Working Paper Series 1836, European Central Bank.
    11. Ferrando, Annalisa & Popov, Alexander & Udell, Gregory F., 2015. "Sovereign stress, unconventional monetary policy, and SME access to finance," Working Paper Series 1820, European Central Bank.
    12. Nicolas Griesshaber, 2017. "Towards a more comprehensive understanding of corporate leverage ratios," IFC Bulletins chapters, in: Bank for International Settlements (ed.), Uses of central balance sheet data offices' information, volume 45, Bank for International Settlements.
    13. Root, Andrew & Yung, Kenneth, 2022. "Resolving agency and product market views of cash holdings," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 59(C).
    14. Costas Lambrinoudakis & Michael Neumann & George Skiadopoulos, 2014. "Capital Structure and Financial Flexibility: Expectations of Future Shocks," Working Papers 731, Queen Mary University of London, School of Economics and Finance.
    15. Annalisa Ferrando & Alessandro Ruggieri, 2018. "Financial constraints and productivity: Evidence from euro area companies," International Journal of Finance & Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 23(3), pages 257-282, July.
    16. Nicola Benatti & Annalisa Ferrando & Pierre Lamarche, 2015. "Firms’ financial statements and competitiveness: an analysis for European non-financial corporations using micro-based data," IFC Bulletins chapters, in: Bank for International Settlements (ed.), Indicators to support monetary and financial stability analysis: data sources and statistical methodologies, volume 39, Bank for International Settlements.
    17. Supriya Kapoor & Michael Mahony & Anuj Pratap Singh, 2025. "Monetary Policy Tightening and SME Bank-Credit Demand Substitution," Trinity Economics Papers tep0125, Trinity College Dublin, Department of Economics.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    cross-country analysis; financial flexibility; investment; low leverage;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G31 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Capital Budgeting; Fixed Investment and Inventory Studies
    • G32 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Financing Policy; Financial Risk and Risk Management; Capital and Ownership Structure; Value of Firms; Goodwill
    • D92 - Microeconomics - - Micro-Based Behavioral Economics - - - Intertemporal Firm Choice, Investment, Capacity, and Financing

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