Abstract
Abstract. The major perspective of this paper is to provide more evidence into the empirical determinants of capital structure adjustment in different macroeconomics states by focusing and discussing the relative importance of firm-specific and macroeconomic characteristics from an alternative scope in U.S. This study extends the empirical research on the topic of capital structure by focusing on a quantile regression method to investigate the behavior of firm-specific characteristics and macroeconomic variables across all quantiles of distribution of leverage (total debt, long-terms debt and short-terms debt). Thus, based on a partial adjustment model, we find that long-term and short-term debt ratios varying regarding their partial adjustment speeds; the short-term debt raises up while the long-term debt ratio slows down for same periods.
Keywords. Capital structure, Quantile regression, Macroeconomy, Firm characteristics, Econometry, Total debt, U.S., Panel data, Hausman test, Fixed effects model, Unbalanced sample.
JEL. B22, B40, E60.References
Akdal, S. (2011). How do Firm characteristics affect capital structure? Some UK evidence. SSRN Electronic Journal. doi. 10.2139/ssrn.1775706
Asselbergh, G. (2002). Financing firms with restricted access to financial markets: the use of trade credit and factoring in Belgium. The European Journal of Finance, 8(1), 2–20. doi. 10.1080/13518470110076286
Baños-Caballero, S., García-Teruel, P.J., & Martínez-Solano, P. (2010). Working capital management in SMEs. Accounting & Finance, 50(3), 511–527. doi. 10.1111/j.1467-629X.2009.00331.x
Bastos, D.D., & Nakamura, W.T. (2009). Determinantes da estrutura de capital das companhias abertas no Brasil, México e Chile no período 2001-2006. Revista Contabilidade & Finanças, 20(50), 75–94. doi. 10.1590/S1519-70772009000200006
Baum, C.F., Stephan, A., & Tala Vera, O. (2009). The effects of uncertainty on the leverage of nonfinancial firms. Economic Inquiry, 47(2), 216–225. doi. 10.1111/j.1465-7295.2007.00116.x
Bettignies, J.-E., & Brander, J.A. (2007). Financing entrepreneurship: Bank finance versus venture capital. Journal of Business Venturing, 22(6), 808–832. doi. 10.1016/J.JBUSVENT.2006.07.005
Booth, L., Aivazian, V., Demirguc-Kunt, A., & Maksimovic, V. (2001). Capital structures in developing countries. The Journal of Finance, 56(1), 87–130. doi. 10.1111/0022-1082.00320
Buchinsky, M. (1994). Changes in the U.S. wage structure 1963-1987: Application of quantile regression. Econometrica, 62(2), 405. doi. 10.2307/2951618
Buchinsky, M. (1995). Estimating the asymptotic covariance matrix for quantile regression models a Monte Carlo study. Journal of Econometrics, 68(2), 303–338. doi. 10.1016/0304-4076(94)01652-G
Casey, E., & O’Toole, C.M. (2014). Bank lending constraints, trade credit and alternative financing during the financial crisis: Evidence from European SMEs. Journal of Corporate Finance, 27, 173-193. doi. 10.1016/J.JCORPFIN.2014.05.001
Céspedes, J., González, M., & Molina, C.A. (2010). Ownership and capital structure in Latin America. Journal of Business Research, 63(3), 248–254. doi. 10.1016/j.jbusres.2009.03.010
Cheng, S.-R., & Shiu, C.-Y. (2007). Investor protection and capital structure: International evidence. Journal of Multinational Financial Management, 17(1), 30–44. doi.10.1016/J.MULFIN.2006.03.002
Chui, A.C.W., Lloyd, A.E., & Kwok, C.C.Y. (2002). The Determination of Capital Structure: Is National Culture a Missing Piece to the Puzzle? Journal of International Business Studies, 33(1), 99-127. doi. 10.1057/palgrave.jibs.8491007
Colombo, M.G., & Grilli, L. (2007). Funding gaps? Access to bank loans by high-tech start-ups. Small Business Economics, 29(1–2), 25–46. doi. 10.1007/s11187-005-4067-0
Cook, D.O., & Tang, T. (2010). Macroeconomic conditions and capital structure adjustment speed. Journal of Corporate Finance, 16(1), 73–87. doi. 10.1016/j.jcorpfin.2009.02.003
Daskalakis, N., & Psillaki, M. (2008). Do country or firm factors explain capital structure? Evidence from SMEs in France and Greece. Applied Financial Economics, 18(2), 87–97. doi. 10.1080/09603100601018864
DeAngelo, H., & Masulis, R.W. (1980). Optimal capital structure under corporate and personal taxation. Journal of Financial Economics, 8(1), 3–29. doi. 10.1016/0304-405X(80)90019-7
Dias Basto, D., Nakamura, W.T., & Basso, L.C. (2009). Determinants of capital structure of publicly-traded companies in Latin America: The role of institutional and macroeconomics factors. SSRN Electronic Journal. doi. 10.2139/ssrn.1365987
Eide, E. R., & Showalter, M. H. (1999). Factors affecting the transmission of earnings across generations: A quantile regression approach. The Journal of Human Resources, 34(2), 253. doi. 10.2307/146345
Fan, J.P.H., Titman, S., & Twite, G. (2012). An international comparison of capital structure and debt maturity choices. Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, 47(1), 23–56. doi. 10.1017/S0022109011000597
Fattouh, B., Harris, L., & Scaramozzino, P. (2008). Non-linearity in the determinants of capital structure: evidence from UK firms. Empirical Economics, 34(3), 417-438. doi. 10.1007/s00181-007-0128-3
Frank, M.Z., & Goyal, V.K. (2003). Testing the pecking order theory of capital structure. Journal of Financial Economics, 67(2), 217–248. doi. 10.1016/S0304-405X(02)00252-0
Frank, M.Z., & Goyal, V.K. (2004). The effect of market conditions on capital structure adjustment. Finance Research Letters, 1(1), 47–55. doi. 10.1016/S1544-6123(03)00005-9
Frank, M.Z., & Goyal, V.K. (2009). Capital structure decisions: Which factors are reliably important? Financial Management, 38(1), 1–37. doi. 10.1111/j.1755-053X.2009.01026.x
Friend, I., & Lang, L.H.P. (1988). An empirical test of the impact of managerial self-interest on corporate capital structure. The Journal of Finance, 43(2), 271–281. doi. 10.1111/j.1540-6261.1988.tb03938.x
Garvey, G.T., & Hanka, G. (1999). Capital structure and corporate control: The effect of antitakeover statutes on firm leverage. The Journal of Finance, 54(2), 519–546. doi. 10.1111/0022-1082.00116
Gill, A., Biger, N., & Mathur, N. (2011). The effect of capital structure on profitability: Evidence from the United States. International Journal of Management, 28(4). [Retrieved from]
Graham, J.R., Leary, M.T., & Roberts, M.R. (2015). A century of capital structure: The leveraging of corporate America. Journal of Financial Economics, 118(3), 658–683. doi. 10.1016/j.jfineco.2014.08.005
Graham, J.R. (1996). Debt and the marginal tax rate. Journal of Financial Economics, 41(1), 41–73. 10.1016/0304-405X(95)00857-B
Gropp, R., & Heider, F. (2010). The determinants of bank capital structure. Review of Finance, 14(4), 587–622. doi. 10.1093/rof/rfp030
Guariglia, A., & Mateut, S. (2006). Credit channel, trade credit channel, and inventory investment: Evidence from a panel of UK firms. Journal of Banking & Finance, 30(10), 2835–2856. doi. 10.1016/J.JBANKFIN.2005.11.002
Hall, G., & Hutchinson, P. (n.d.). East and West: Differences in sme capital structure between former Soviet-Bloc and non Soviet-bloc European countries. [Retrieved from].
Halling, M., Yu, J., & Zechner, J. (2016). Leverage dynamics over the business cycle. Journal of Financial Economics, 122(1), 21–41. doi. 10.1016/J.JFINECO.2016.07.001
Hasbrouck, J. (1988). Trades, quotes, inventories, and information. Journal of Financial Economics, 22(2), 229–252. doi. 10.1016/0304-405X(88)90070-0
Hausman, J.A. (1978). Specification tests in econometrics. Econometrica, 46(6), 1251. doi. 10.2307/1913827
Hanushek, E.A., & Woessmann, L. (2011). Sample selectivity and the validity of international student achievement tests in economic research. Economics Letters, 110(2), 79–82. doi. 10.1016/J.ECONLET.2010.10.022
Hernandez-Canovas, G., & Koeter-Kant, J. (2011). SME financing in Europe: Cross-country determinants of bank loan maturity. International Small Business Journal, 29(5), 489–507. doi. 10.1177/0266242611402569
Huang, R., & Ritter, J.R. (2009). Testing theories of capital structure and estimating the speed of adjustment. Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, 44(2), 237. doi. 10.1017/S0022109009090152
Holt, D.B. (1998). Does cultural capital structure American consumption? Journal of Consumer Research, 25(1), 1–25. doi. 10.1086/209523
Jensen, M.C., & Meckling, W.H. (1976). Theory of the firm: Managerial behavior, agency costs and ownership structure. Journal of Financial Economics, 3(4), 305–360. doi. 10.1016/0304-405X(76)90026-X
Karpavičius, S., & Yu, F. (2017). How institutional monitoring creates value: Evidence for the free cash flow hypothesis. International Review of Economics & Finance, 52, 127–146. doi. 10.1016/J.IREF.2017.10.016
Kayo, E.K., & Kimura, H. (2011). Hierarchical determinants of capital structure. Journal of Banking & Finance, 35(2), 358–371. doi. 10.1016/j.jbankfin.2010.08.015
Kester, W.C. (1986). Capital and ownership structure: A comparison of United States and Japanese manufacturing corporations. Financial Management, 15(1), 5. doi. 10.2307/3665273
Kim, H., & Berger, P.D. (2008). A Comparison of Capital Structure Determinants: The United States and The Republic of Korea. Multinational Business Review, 16(1), 79–100. doi. 10.1108/1525383X200800004
Koenker, R., & Bassett, G. (1978). Regression Quantiles. Econometrica, 46(1), 33. doi. 10.2307/1913643
Koenker, R. (2004). Quantile regression for longitudinal data. Journal of Multivariate Analysis, 91(1), 74–89. doi. 10.1016/J.JMVA.2004.05.006
Köksal, B., & Orman, C. (2015). Determinants of capital structure: evidence from a major developing economy. Small Business Economics, 44(2), 255–282. doi. 10.1007/s11187-014-9597-x
Korajczyk, R.A., & Levy, A. (2003). Capital structure choice: macroeconomic conditions and financial constraints. Journal of Financial Economics, 68(1), 75–109. doi. 10.1016/S0304-405X(02)00249-0
Lemmon, M. L., & Zender, J. F. (2010). Debt capacity and tests of capital structure theories. Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, 45(5), 1161–1187. doi.10.1017/S0022109010000499
Love, I., Preve, L.A., & Sarria-Allende, V. (2007). Trade credit and bank credit: Evidence from recent financial crises. Journal of Financial Economics, 83(2), 453–469. doi. 10.1016/J.JFINECO.2005.11.002
Low, P.Y., & Chen, K.H. (2004). Diversification and capital structure: Some international evidence. Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, 23(1), 55–71. doi. 10.1023/B:REQU.0000037064.15144.04
Margaritis, D., & Psillaki, M. (2010). Capital structure, equity ownership and firm performance. Journal of Banking & Finance, 34(3), 621–632. doi. 10.1016/J.JBANKFIN.2009.08.023
Marsh, P. (1982). The choice between equity and debt: An empirical study. The Journal of Finance, 37(1), 121–144. doi. 10.1111/j.1540-6261.1982.tb01099.x
Malkiel, B.G. (1979). The capital formation problem in the United States. The Journal of Finance, 34(2), 291–306. doi. 10.1111/j.1540-6261.1979.tb02092.x
Matsa, D.A. (2010). Capital structure as a strategic variable: Evidence from collective bargaining. The Journal of Finance, 65(3), 1197–1232. doi. 10.1111/j.1540-6261.2010.01565.x
Michaelas, N., Chittenden, F., & Poutziouris, P. (1999). Financial policy and capital structure choice in U.K. SMEs: Empirical evidence from company panel data. Small Business Economics, 12(2), 113–130. doi. 10.1023/A:1008010724051
Mokhova, N., & Zinecker, M. (2013). The determinants of capital structure: the evidence from the European Union. Acta Universitatis Agriculturae et Silviculturae Mendelianae Brunensis, 61(7), 2533–2546. doi. 10.11118/actaun201361072533
Mokhova, N., & Zinecker, M. (2014). Macroeconomic factors and corporate capital structure. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 110, 530–540. doi. 10.1016/J.SBSPRO.2013.12.897
Myers, S.C. (n.d.). Capital structure. The Journal of Economic Perspectives. doi. 10.2307/2696593
Ng, C.K., Smith, J.K., & Smith, R.L. (1999). Evidence on the determinants of credit terms used in interfirm trade. The Journal of Finance, 54(3), 1109–1129. doi. 10.1111/0022-1082.00138
Öztekin, Ö., & Flannery, M.J. (2012). Institutional determinants of capital structure adjustment speeds. Journal of Financial Economics, 103(1), 88–112. doi. 10.1016/j.jfineco.2011.08.014
Pettit, R.R., & Singer, R.F. (1985). Small business finance: A research agenda. Financial Management, 14(3), 47. doi. 10.2307/3665059
Powell, J.L. (1986). Censored regression quantiles. Journal of Econometrics, 32(1), 143–155. doi. 10.1016/0304-4076(86)90016-3
Psillaki, M., & Daskalakis, N. (2009). Are the determinants of capital structure country or firm specific? Small Business Economics, 33(3), 319–333. doi. 10.1007/s11187-008-9103-4
Psillaki, M., & Eleftheriou, K. (2015). Trade credit, bank credit, and flight to quality: Evidence from French SMEs. Journal of Small Business Management, 53(4), 1219–1240. doi. 10.1111/jsbm.12106
Prowse, S.D. (1990). Institutional investment patterns and corporate financial behavior in the United States and Japan. Journal of Financial Economics, 27(1), 43–66. doi. 10.1016/0304-405X(90)90020-Z
Rajan, R.G., & Zingales, L. (1995). What do we know about capital structure? Some evidence from international data. The Journal of Finance, 50(5), 1421–1460. doi. 10.1111/j.1540-6261.1995.tb05184.x
Shyam-Sunder, L., & C. Myers, S. (1999). Testing static tradeoff against pecking order models of capital structure. Journal of Financial Economics, 51(2), 219–244. doi. 10.1016/S0304-405X(98)00051-8
Solnik, B.H. (1974). The international pricing of risk: An empirical investigation of the World capital market structure. The Journal of Finance, 29(2), 365. doi. 10.2307/2978806
Sylla, R. (1969). Federal policy, banking market structure, and capital mobilization in the United States, 1863–1913. The Journal of Economic History, 29(4), 657–686. doi. 10.1017/S002205070007193X
Titman, S., & Wessels, R. (1988). The determinants of capital structure choice. The Journal of Finance, 43(1), 1–19. doi. 10.1111/j.1540-6261.1988.tb02585.x
Wald, J.K. (1999). How firm characteristics affect capital structure: an international comparison. Journal of Financial Research, 22(2), 161–187. doi. 10.1111/j.1475-6803.1999.tb00721.x
Wald, J.K. (1999). How firm characteristics affect capital structure : An international comparison, Journal of Financial Research, 22(2), doi. 161–187. 10.1111/j.1475-6803.1999.tb00721.x
Ziersch, A.M., Baum, F., Darmawan, I.G.N., Kavanagh, A.M., & Bentley, R.J. (2009). Social capital and health in rural and urban communities in South Australia. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 33(1), 7–16. doi. 10.1111/j.1753-6405.2009.00332.x