This study uses corporate tax return data to examine the evolution of firms' financial structure and performance after leveraged buyouts (LBOs) for a comprehensive sample of 317 LBOs taking place between 1995 and 2007. We find little evidence of operating improvements subsequent to an LBO,...

This paper uses corporate tax return data to study private equity (PE) buyouts of private U.S. firms. PE firms disproportionately target two types of private companies – those with poor operating performance and those that have growth potential but are dependent on external financing and...

We compare how bond market access affects firms' investment decisions in the United States and the euro area. Having a bond rating enables US corporations to invest more and undertake more acquisitions. In contrast, in the euro area, bond ratings have no effect on investment decisions....

This paper examines the impact of thin capitalization rules that limit the tax deductibility of interest on the capital structure of the foreign affiliates of US multinationals. We construct a new data set on thin capitalization rules in 54 countries for the period 1982-2004. Using confidential...

Prior research has documented a substantial “lockout” effect resulting from the current U.S. worldwide tax and financial reporting systems. We hypothesize that foreign firms are tax- favored acquirers because they can avoid the U.S. tax on repatriations. Consistent with this tax advantage,...