nep-cfn New Economics Papers
on Corporate Finance
Issue of 2025–11–24
seven papers chosen by
Zelia Serrasqueiro, Universidade da Beira Interior


  1. The Intangible Shift: Redefining the Dynamics of Market-to-Book Ratios By C. Peter; J. Li; H. S. Wilson Tong; C. Chingfu Tsai
  2. The Drivers of SME Investment in Ireland By Mahony, Michael; O'Neill, Cian
  3. Capital structure and resilience – The case of the UK Residential Real Estate Developers By Grazyna Wiejak-Roy; Hein Huiskes
  4. When do female directors curb corporate ESG controversies? Evidence from the USA By Ammar Ali Gull; Inam Ul Haq; Abdul Ghafoor; Tanveer Ahsan; Yasar Bayraktar
  5. Dilution vs. Risk Taking: Capital Gains Taxation and Entrepreneurship By Eduardo Azevedo; Florian Scheuer; Kent Smetters; Min Yang
  6. The role of uncertainty in investment: An examination using residential real estate data from fifteen European countries By Maria Chondrokouki; Andrianos Tsekrekos
  7. Perceived interconnections between Canadian banks and non-bank financial intermediaries under stress By Javier Ojea Ferreiro

  1. By: C. Peter; J. Li (Audencia Business School); H. S. Wilson Tong; C. Chingfu Tsai
    Abstract: We demonstrate that a persistent pattern exists in the evolution of the MTB ratio from 1999 to 2023, wherein firms with high (low) MTB ratios tend to maintain those levels over time. The persistence of the MTB ratio is independent of industry effects and cannot be well explained by accounting performance. Intangible investment plays a crucial role in determining the MTB ratio, and its persistence is primarily maintained through continued internal intangible investment rather than external mergers and acquisitions. Moreover, although U.S. firms have increased their investment in intangible assets over the past 25 years, the gap between high- and low-MTB firms in intangible investment has widened. Our results suggest that the basis of stock value has shifted from tangible to intangible investments over time.
    Keywords: Market-to-book ratio, return-on-equity, value persistence, abnormal earnings, intangible investment
    Date: 2025–09
    URL: https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:journl:hal-05302706
  2. By: Mahony, Michael (Central Bank of Ireland); O'Neill, Cian (Central Bank of Ireland)
    Abstract: While many Irish SMEs report making investments, the euro value of these investments is small. This pattern is explained by firms being satisfied with their current size and investment rates, rather than by a lack of external finance. When Irish SMEs do expand, their preference is to fund with internal cash resources rather than to borrow. Around a quarter of SMEs state that external finance constraints are a barrier to investment, but factors like recent growth and attitudes to risk are statistically more important in explaining investment patterns across firms.
    Date: 2025–09
    URL: https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cbi:stafin:3/si/25
  3. By: Grazyna Wiejak-Roy; Hein Huiskes
    Abstract: Despite several attempts, the UK’s residential development market is in a persistent crisis characterised by undersupply for housing and rising house prices. Market consolidation over the past two decades has reduced competition, reinforced market entry barriers, and contributed to higher housing prices and fewer affordable options. This study examines the financial positions of the UK’s largest housebuilders (n = 75) that combined have a market share exceeding 50%. By looking at data from 2004 to 2023 we are testing for the Pecking Order Theory and Trade-Off Theory. In doing so, we apply panel regression to investigate the relationships between growth, firm size, asset tangibility, profitability, non-debt tax shields, and effective tax rate with short-term debt, long-term debt, total debt, and shareholders’ funds. We find that smaller and high-growth firms more frequently use debt financing to minimize costs while larger firms more often use equity financing. Tangible assets are positively associated with long-term debt and equity, while profitability is negatively associated with short-term debt and significant non-debt tax shields are negatively associated with debt levels. We conclude that the capital structure practices of UK housebuilders mostly align with the Pecking Order Theory. However, the models' moderate explanatory power suggests other factors at play which need future research focus.
    Keywords: Capital Structure; housing; Pecking order theory; trade-off theory
    JEL: R3
    Date: 2025–01–01
    URL: https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:arz:wpaper:eres2025_13
  4. By: Ammar Ali Gull (DVHE - De Vinci Higher Education, VNU - Vietnam National University [Hanoï]); Inam Ul Haq (DVHE - De Vinci Higher Education); Abdul Ghafoor (BCU - Birmingham City University); Tanveer Ahsan (Rennes SB - Rennes School of Business); Yasar Bayraktar (BCU - Birmingham City University)
    Abstract: We investigate when female directors are effective in curbing ESG controversies • Female directors mitigate ESG controversies when serving as independent directors • Female directors are effective in firms.
    Keywords: Contingency theory, Agency theory, Gender socialization, Female directors, ESG controversies
    Date: 2025–10
    URL: https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:journl:hal-05327290
  5. By: Eduardo Azevedo; Florian Scheuer; Kent Smetters; Min Yang
    Abstract: Recent proposals to tax unrealized capital gains or wealth have sparked a debate about their impact on entrepreneurship. We show that accrual-based taxation creates two opposing effects: successful founders face greater dilution from advance tax payments, whereas unsuccessful founders receive tax credits that effectively provide insurance. Using comprehensive new data on U.S. venture capital deals, we find that founder returns remain extremely skewed, with 84% receiving zero exit value while the top 2% capture 80% of total value. Moving from current realization-based to accrual-based taxation would reduce founder ownership at exit by 25% on average but would also increase the fraction receiving positive payoffs from 16% to 47% when tax credits are refunded. Embedding these distributions in a dynamic career choice model, we find that founders with no or moderate risk aversion prefer the current realization-based tax system, while more risk-averse founders prefer accrual-based taxation. We estimate that a 2% annual wealth tax has a similar impact on dilution as taxing unrealized capital gains, but produces no risk-sharing benefits due to the absence of tax credits in case of down rounds.
    Keywords: capital gains tax, wealth tax, venture capital, entrepreneurship, dilution
    JEL: G3 H2 J3
    Date: 2025
    URL: https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ces:ceswps:_12275
  6. By: Maria Chondrokouki; Andrianos Tsekrekos
    Abstract: The neoclassical investment model predicts that only systematic risk affects the rate of investment through developed asset price, whereas the option-based investment model predicts that total investment risk directly affects investment behaviour. This study empirically tests the total uncertainty-investment relationship using aggregate construction data on residential real estate from fifteen European countries. We specify and empirically estimate a structural model of asset-market equilibrium and, after controlling for built-asset price, construction cost, expected rent, interest rate levels, expected growth of real rents and systematic risk, we find evidence of an independent role for total uncertainty in the supply of residential real estate. In particular, panel estimation shows that total uncertainty is significantly negatively related to the rate of investment across all sample countries included in our study. This finding appears robust to two alternative measures that we use to proxy aggregate investment. Supplementary analysis suggests that our main finding is unaffected by the global recession of 2008-2009 and the recent Covid pandemic. We conclude that our empirical results provide support for the option-based model and, thus, for the notion that the ability to delay decisions in the face of uncertainty and irreversibility are important aspects of investment in real estate.
    Keywords: Investment; Residential Real Estate; Uncertainty
    JEL: R3
    Date: 2025–01–01
    URL: https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:arz:wpaper:eres2025_46
  7. By: Javier Ojea Ferreiro
    Abstract: I study the links between Canadian banks and non-bank financial intermediaries (NBFIs) by observing co-movements in stock prices. Perceived interconnections increased before the COVID-19 pandemic but have since stabilized, with the strongest ties seen between large banks and NBFIs. The secured credit line extended to Home Trust, a non-bank mortgage lender that experienced severe funding stress in 2017, significantly reduced banks' risk exposure to NBFIs during this episode.
    Keywords: Financial stability; Financial institutions; Econometric and statistical methods
    JEL: C58 G01 G21 G23 G32
    Date: 2025–11
    URL: https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:bca:bocsan:25-26

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