This paper studies the link between secondary market liquidity for a corporate bond and the bond's yield spread at issuance. Using ex-ante measures of expected liquidity at the time of issuance, based on the characteristics of the underwriting syndicate, we find an economically large impact of...

Over 85% U.S. firms set their pension discount rates higher than benchmark rates, particularly when interest rates fall. This paper offers explanations to this phenomenon --- mandatory contributions to underfunded pensions constrain corporate investments, thus a relaxation of such constraint...