The inability of carriers to forecast “demand for containerships” led them to order larger ships. Maritime economists were also unable to forecast it. The new-buildings cut cost per TEU, but “estimated economies of scale” are exhausted with ships beyond 21,000 TEUs, higher than the...

In times of crisis, cash and liquidity play an essential role. This paper analyzes the working capital measures over the course of a business cycle. We examine (1) how companies behave in economic downturns regarding their working capital components and (2) whether firms with higher financial...