On financing with convertible debt over the last two decades.

Despite extensive research, the rationale behind firms' decision to issue convertible debt is still unknown. On average, results indicate that the market reacts more negatively to new convertible debt issues of companies with higher cash ratios. Hence, I test whether convertible issuers are companies with limited access to the debt and equity markets. I find that pre-1990 issuers have a propensity to accumulate cash out of their cash flows prior to the convertible debt issue. Moreover, I provide strong evidence that convertible issuers substitute cash for both short-term debt and non-cash net working capital.