Friday 20 October 2017 13:00 - 14:30

SAL 3.05, 3rd Floor Conference Room, Sir Arthur Lewis Building, LSE, 32 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London WC2A 3PH

About this event

We estimate the sensitivity of investment to the cost of outside equity for young firms. For estimation, we exploit differences across firms in eligibility to a new tax relief program for individual outside investors in the UK. On average, investment increases 1.6% in response to a 10% drop in the cost of outside equity. This average conceals substantial heterogeneity: 1% of eligible firms issue equity in response to a subsidy that would have doubled investors’ returns, implying large outside equity issuance costs for the majority of firms. Conditional on issuing new equity, however, firms invest eight times the issued amount. Additional evidence suggests that the marginal funding is provided by the same investors that provide equity, but in the form of debt. Consistent with financing frictions’ theories of capital structure, the results imply a large complementarity between outside equity and debt-like securities in young firms.

Participants are expected to adhere to the CEP Events Code of Conduct.

Directions

This event will take place in SAL 3.05, 3rd Floor Conference Room, Sir Arthur Lewis Building, LSE, 32 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London WC2A 3PH.

Urban and Regional Economics Seminars are part of the CEP's Urban and spatial programme.