Debt dilution and debt overhang
Jungherr, Joachim
Schot, Immo

Date: 2018
Abstract: We introduce long-term debt (and a maturity choice) into a standard model of firm financing and investment. This allows us to study two distortions of investment: (1. ) Debt dilution distorts firms' choice of debt which has an indirect effect on investment; (2. ) Debt overhang directly distorts investment. In a dynamic model of investment, leverage, and debt maturity, we show that the two frictions interact to reduce investment, increase leverage, and increase the default rate. We provide empirical evidence from U. S. firms that is consistent with the model predictions. Using our model, we isolate and quantify the effect of debt dilution and debt overhang. Debt dilution is more important for firm value than debt overhang. Debt overhang can actually increase firm value by reducing debt dilution. The negative effect of debt dilution on investment is about half as strong as that of debt overhang. Eliminating the two distortions leads to an increase in investment equivalent to a reduction in the corporate income tax of 3. 5 percentage points.
Abstract: The ADEMU Working Paper Series is being supported by the European Commission Horizon 2020 European Union funding for Research & Innovation, grant agreement No 649396.
Grants: European Commission 649396
Rights: Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, la comunicació pública de l'obra i la creació d'obres derivades, fins i tot amb finalitats comercials, sempre i quan es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original. Creative Commons
Language: Anglès
Series: Barcelona Graduate School of Economics. ADEMU working paper series
Series: ADEMU Working Paper Series ; 124
Document: Working paper
Subject: Investment ; Debt dilution ; Debt overhang

Adreça alternativa: https://hdl.handle.net/10230/35519


45 p, 732.7 KB

The record appears in these collections:
Research literature > Working papers

 Record created 2018-10-23, last modified 2022-07-09



   Favorit i Compartir