This paper examines the role of bond ratings and the effects of rating-based regulations in thecorporate bond market. Exploiting an unanticipated mechanical change in how the benchmarkLehman bond indices are constructed in 2005, we show that rating-induced market segmentationof the bond market...

This paper develops a model of corporate investment and financing decisions thatdiffers from previous contributions by recognizing that firms face uncertainty regardingtheir future access to credit markets and may have to search for creditors when raisingdebt financing. We show that accounting...