The overconfidence bias in relation to investment decisions is well documented in psychology and behavioural finance literature. Less known is that an overconfidence bias also relates to financing decisions. Managers that are overconfident of their firm's future are likely to prefer debt to...

This paper represents one of the first studies to document an empirical relation between market sentiment and capital structure in the USA. In a sample of US firms we find that market sentiment as proxied by the University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index is pervasive and significant in...