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Financing constraints, irreversibility and investment dynamics

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Abstract

We develop a model of an industry with many heterogeneous firms that face both financing constraints and irreversibility constraints. The financing constraint implies that firms cannot borrow unless the debt is secured by collateral; the irreversibility constraint that they can only sell their fixed capital by selling their business. We use this model to examine the cyclical behavior of aggregate fixed investment, variable capital investment, and output in the presence of persistent idiosyncratic and aggregate shocks. Our model yields three main results. First, the effect of the irreversibility constraint on fixed capital investment is reinforced by the financing constraint. Second, the effect of the financing constraint on variable capital investment is reinforced by the irreversibility constraint. Finally, the interaction between the two constraints is key for explaining why input inventories and material deliveries of US manufacturing firms are so volatile and procyclical, and also why they are highly asymmetrical over the business cycle.

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  • Andrea Caggese, 2001. "Financing constraints, irreversibility and investment dynamics," Economics Working Papers 1008, Department of Economics and Business, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, revised Aug 2006.
    • Handle: RePEc:upf:upfgen:1008
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    Cited by:

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    2. Björn A. Hauksson, 2005. "Aggregate business fixed investment," Economics wp27_bjorn, Department of Economics, Central bank of Iceland.
    3. Charles A.E. Goodhart & Dimitrios P. Tsomocos & Xuan Wang, 2023. "Support for small businesses amid COVID‐19," Economica, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 90(358), pages 612-652, April.
    4. Caggese, Andrea, 2007. "Testing financing constraints on firm investment using variable capital," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 86(3), pages 683-723, December.
    5. Peter N. Gal & Gabor Pinter, 2017. "Capital over the Business Cycle: Renting versus Ownership," Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 49(6), pages 1299-1338, September.
    6. repec:ebl:ecbull:v:5:y:2007:i:10:p:1-10 is not listed on IDEAS
    7. Chatelain, Jean-Bernard & Ralf, Kirsten & Amable, Bruno, 2010. "Patents as Collateral," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 34(6), pages 1094-1104.
    8. Julia K. Thomas & Aubhik Khan, 2009. "Collateral constraints, capital specificity and the distribution of production: the role of real and financial frictions in aggregate fluctuations," 2009 Meeting Papers 1133, Society for Economic Dynamics.
    9. Cao, Shutao & Leung, Danny, 2020. "Credit constraints and productivity of SMEs: Evidence from Canada," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 88(C), pages 163-180.
    10. McGee, M. Kevin, 2010. "Twice constrained investment under uncertainty: A mixed time model," Research in Economics, Elsevier, vol. 64(2), pages 110-120, June.
    11. Richard Holt, 2007. "Investment, irreversibility and financial imperfections: the rush to invest and the option to wait," Economics Bulletin, AccessEcon, vol. 5(10), pages 1-10.
    12. Simona Mateut & Paul Mizen & Ydriss Ziane, 2012. "No Going Back: How the Production Process Affects Access to Short-term Credit," Discussion Papers 12/14, University of Nottingham, Centre for Finance, Credit and Macroeconomics (CFCM).
    13. Shutao Cao & Danny Leung, 2016. "Financial Constraint and Productivity: Evidence from Canadian SMEs," Staff Working Papers 16-44, Bank of Canada.
    14. Kaido Kepp & Kadri Männasoo, 2021. "Investment irreversibility and cyclical adversity: Implications for the financial performance of European manufacturing companies," Managerial and Decision Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 42(7), pages 1665-1678, October.
    15. Rainer Niemann & Caren Sureth, 2011. "The Impact of Differential Capital Income Taxation on the Value of Risky Projects," Economics Bulletin, AccessEcon, vol. 31(2), pages 1047-1054.
    16. Alessandro Villa, 2022. "Credit Misallocation and Macro Dynamics with Oligopolistic Financial Intermediaries," Working Paper Series WP 2022-41, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago.
    17. Alessandra Guariglia & John Tsoukalas & Serafeim Tsoukas, 2010. "Investment, irreversibility, and financing constraints in transition economies," Discussion Papers 10/03, University of Nottingham, School of Economics.
    18. Sarte, Pierre-Daniel & Schwartzman, Felipe & Lubik, Thomas A., 2015. "What inventory behavior tells us about how business cycles have changed," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 76(C), pages 264-283.
    19. Shi, Yang & Li, Jiachen & Liu, Ruiming, 2023. "Financing constraints and share pledges: Evidence from the share pledge reform in China," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 78(C).
    20. Julia Thomas & Aubhik Khan, 2012. "Uncertainty Shocks in an Economy with Collateral Constraints," 2012 Meeting Papers 1075, Society for Economic Dynamics.
    21. Kaoru Hosono & Masaki Hotei & Chie Umezaki, 2013. "External Finance Constraints and the Timing of Investment Spikes," Public Policy Review, Policy Research Institute, Ministry of Finance Japan, vol. 9(2), pages 365-404, March.
    22. Michael Siemer, 2014. "Firm Entry and Employment Dynamics in the Great Recession," Finance and Economics Discussion Series 2014-56, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (U.S.).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Financing Constraints; Irreversibility; Investment;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D21 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Firm Behavior: Theory
    • E22 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Investment; Capital; Intangible Capital; Capacity
    • E32 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Prices, Business Fluctuations, and Cycles - - - Business Fluctuations; Cycles
    • G31 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Capital Budgeting; Fixed Investment and Inventory Studies

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