Is the Working Capital Channel of the Monetary Policy Quantitatively Relevant? A Structural Estimation Approach

Is the working-capital channel big, and does it vary across industries? To answer this question, I estimate a dynamic stochastic macro-finance model using firm-level data. In aggregate, I find a partial channel ---about three-fourths of firms’ labor bill is borrowed. But the strength of this channel varies across industries, reaching as low as one-half for retail firms and as high as one for agriculture and construction. This provides evidence that monetary policy could have varying effects across industries through the working capital channel