The COVID-19 Impact on Corporate Leverage and Financial Fragility /
We study the impact of the COVID-19 recession on capital structure of publicly listed U.S. firms. Our estimates suggest leverage (Net Debt/Asset) decreased by 5.3 percentage points from the pre-shock mean of 19.6 percent, while debt maturity increased moderately. This de-leveraging effect is stronge...
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| Andre forfattere: | |
| Format: | Tidsskrift |
| Sprog: | English |
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Washington, D.C. :
International Monetary Fund,
2021.
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| Serier: | IMF Working Papers; Working Paper ;
No. 2021/265 |
| Fag: | |
| Online adgang: | Full text available on IMF |
| Summary: | We study the impact of the COVID-19 recession on capital structure of publicly listed U.S. firms. Our estimates suggest leverage (Net Debt/Asset) decreased by 5.3 percentage points from the pre-shock mean of 19.6 percent, while debt maturity increased moderately. This de-leveraging effect is stronger for firms exposed to significant rollover risk, while firms whose businesses were most vulnerable to social distancing did not reduce leverage. We rationalize our evidence through a structural model of firm value that shows lower expected growth rate and higher volatility of cash flows following COVID-19 reduced optimal levels of corporate leverage. Model-implied optimal leverage indicates firms which did not de-lever became over-leveraged. We find default probability deteriorates most in large, over-leveraged firms and those that were stressed pre-COVID. Additional stress tests predict value of these firms will be less than one standard deviation away from default if cash flows decline by 20 percent. |
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| Emne beskrivelse: | <strong>Off-Campus Access:</strong> No User ID or Password Required <strong>On-Campus Access:</strong> No User ID or Password Required |
| Fysisk beskrivelse: | 1 online resource (51 pages) |
| Format: | Mode of access: Internet |
| ISSN: | 1018-5941 |
| Adgang: | Electronic access restricted to authorized BRAC University faculty, staff and students |