Intangible Asset Reallocation and Financial Frictions

I develop and estimate a novel dynamic model of the secondary market trading of intangible assets in an environment where financial market frictions interfere with firm investment. Intangible asset trading (IAT) not only serves as an alternative means of financing but also reallocates investment opportunities to firms in better positions to exploit them. Estimation of the model uncovers high trading frictions, but the option to trade still leads to significant efficiency gains. These gains stem both from IAT's direct effect on relaxing firms' financial constraints and especially from ex ante changes in firms' expectations, which influence their investment choices. I also show that the impact of financial frictions depends largely on the ease with which firms can trade intangibles. Finally, I present corroborating reduced-form evidence that firms sell a particular type of intangible asset, patents, during times of financial distress and their financial conditions appear to improve after these sales