In recent years, the number of downgrades in corporate bond ratings has exceeded the number of upgrades, leading some to conclude that the credit quality of U.S. corporate debt has declined. However, an alternative explanation of this apparent decline in credit quality is that the rating...

This paper examines how firm characteristics, the legal system and financial development affect corporate finance decisions using a novel and unexpored data set containing balance sheet information for listed and unlisted companies. Contrary to the previous literature, by using data on unlisted...

We examine the employment decisions of Spanish manufacturing firms in financial distress. Our sample comprises 4,566 firms operating during 1983-1994. We find that firms in distress reduce their employment significantly. These reductions are positively associated with asset sales, but cannot be...

This paper proposes a method for valuing a firm's debt and equity that relies on readily-accessible current accounting data applied in an easily understood and intuitively appealing manner and which addresses the impact of a firm's accounting for taxes on a its economic profitability. We derive...

We analyse the wide array of rescue programmes adopted in several countries, following Lehman Brothers� default in September 2008, in order to support banks and other financial institutions. We first provide an overview of the programmes, comparing their characteristics, magnitudes and...

It has been observed, in a number of european countries like France, that the increase in real long term interest rates seemd to imply a decrease in the corporate debt ratios (the debt to equity ratio or the debt to value added ratio) and also a decrease in th share of wages in value-added. We...