We investigate the repercussions of credit market mistakes for a firm's borrowing and investment decisions. When credit ratings are relatively optimistic, we find evidence that firms take advantage of inaccuracies by issuing more debt, increasing leverage, rolling over more debt and lengthening...

We find that institutional arrangements have an impact on the real economy by affecting firms' choice between private and public debt and the subsequent financing costs. Using new debt issued by firms in 26 non-US countries, we find, after controlling for firm characteristics predicted by debt...

This dissertation suggests that the tax savings, in firm valuation, are discounted at a rate computed through a model presented in the literature review, which is different from the rates usually used for this purpose either by the top text books from, for example, Neves (2002), Ross,...

This paper studies whether debt renegotiation mitigates debt overhang and improves investment efficiency. Using mergers between lenders participated in the same syndicated loans as natural experiments that exogenously reduce the number of lenders and thus make renegotiation easier, I find that...

The value of tax shields (VTS) defines the increase in the company's value as a result of the tax saving obtained by the payment of interest. However, there is no consensus in the existing literature regarding the correct way to compute the VTS. Most authors think of calculating the VTS in terms...

Stronger creditor rights reduce credit costs and thus may allow firms to increase leverage and investments, but also increase distress costs and thus may prompt firms to lower leverage and undertake risk-reducing but unprofitable investments. Using a German bankruptcy law reform, on average, we...

In a dynamic framework, this paper studies a firm’s optimal capital structure choice in terms of the maturity and call premium of the debt. The firm’s capital structure is optimized accordingto a trade-off between a tax advantage of debt, bankruptcy costs and debt issuance costs. The central...