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New Insight on Investment-Cash Flow Sensitivity

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  • Sai Ding
  • Minjoo Kim
  • Xiao Zhang

Abstract

The investment-cash flow sensitivity (ICFS) of Chinese listed firms declined during the global financial crisis, which contradicts the conventional financial constraint interpretation of ICFS. We analyze this interesting phenomenon by examining how cash flow uncertainty affects the ways to finance investment in China. We find that ICFS reveals not only the information between investment and cash flow but also the relationship between internal funds and external financing. When internal funds and external financing are complements, cash flow uncertainty decreases ICFS much more than when internal funds and external financing are substitutes. Our results remain robust when we consider the problem of endogeneity and use alternative measures of key variables. Our story is also supported by the sample of US firms, indicating that our new interpretation of ICFS based on cash flow uncertainty and the relationship between internal funds and external financing can apply to the general literature of corporate finance.

Suggested Citation

  • Sai Ding & Minjoo Kim & Xiao Zhang, 2021. "New Insight on Investment-Cash Flow Sensitivity," Working Papers 2021_16, Business School - Economics, University of Glasgow.
    • Handle: RePEc:gla:glaewp:2021_16
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    Keywords

    cash flow uncertainty; financial constraint; debt; cash flow; investment; China;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E22 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Investment; Capital; Intangible Capital; Capacity
    • G31 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Capital Budgeting; Fixed Investment and Inventory Studies
    • O16 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Financial Markets; Saving and Capital Investment; Corporate Finance and Governance

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