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Investment-Cash Flow Sensitivity and the Cost of External Finance

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  • KLAAS MULIER
  • KOEN SCHOORS
  • BRUNO MERLEVEDE

Abstract

We contribute to the investment-cash ow sensitivity debate by creating a new index to identify the supply of finance to firms. We find that firms that are considered constrained according to our index pay a higher interest rate on their debt, and display the highest investment-cash fl ow sensitivities. Moreover, these findings are not driven by the possible information content of cash fl ow regarding investment opportunities as we control for oppor- tunities by augmenting our empirical model with firm-level employment growth. We thus provide new evidence consistent with Campbell et al. (2012) that the cost of capital is the driving force behind investment-cash fl ow sensitivity.

Suggested Citation

  • Klaas Mulier & Koen Schoors & Bruno Merlevede, 2014. "Investment-Cash Flow Sensitivity and the Cost of External Finance," Working Papers of Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, Ghent University, Belgium 14/890, Ghent University, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration.
    • Handle: RePEc:rug:rugwps:14/890
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Investment-cash flow sensitivity; cost of finance;

    JEL classification:

    • D92 - Microeconomics - - Micro-Based Behavioral Economics - - - Intertemporal Firm Choice, Investment, Capacity, and Financing
    • 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

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