Since the seminal contribution of Berk, Green, and Naik (Journal of Finance, 1999), we have witnessed a growing interest in rationalizing the observed cross-sectional relation between investment and stock returns. Unfortunately, however, the extant literature falls short of ensuring that the...

We study the cyclical implications of endogenous firm-level entry and exit decisions in a dynamic, stochastic general equilibrium model wherein firms face persistent shocks to both aggregate and individual productivity. The model we explore is in the spirit of Hopenhayn (1992). Firms' decisions...

When the neoclassical model of investment is serious about investment, it fails to replicate elementary cross-sectional features of equity returns. Without leverage, the model produces a value discount - i.e. value firms earn lower returns than growth firms. With large enough operating leverage,...

Do firm entry and exit play a major role in shaping aggregate dynamics? Our answer is yes. Entry and exit propagate the effects of aggregate shocks. In turn, this results in greater persistence and unconditional variation of aggregate time-series. These are features of the equilibrium allocation...

This paper proposes a risk-based explanation of the negative relation between credit spreads and expected equity returns found in the data. In a model where issuing equity is costly and debt has a tax advantage, firms optimally choose a lower net leverage if their cash flows are more correlated...

In this paper I develop and empirically test a model that highlights how the correlation between cash flows and a source of aggregate risk affects a firm's optimal cash holding policy. In the model, riskier firms (i.e., firms with a higher correlation between cash flows and the aggregate shock)...

This paper documents a new empirical finding: an investing strategy that is long in stocks of firms with a high cash-to-assets ratio (High Cash portfolio) and short in stocks of firms with a low cash-to-assets ratio (Low Cash portfolio) produces an average excess return of 42 basis points per...

A large and increasing fraction of the value of executives' compensation is accounted for by security grants. However, in most models of executive compensation, the optimal allocation can be implemented through a sequence of state-contingent cash payments. Security awards are redundant. In this...

We amend Hopenhayn's model of equilibrium industry dynamics by explicitly modeling the firm's investment choice and by introducing aggregate fluctuations. Our main goal is to study the model's implications for the cyclical behavior of entry, exit, and the cross--section of operating firms. We...