Stock Market Development And Firm Financing Choices

May 1995 The three most developed stock markets are in Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States, and the most underdeveloped markets are in Colombia, Nigeria, Venezuela, and Zimbabwe. Markets tend to be more developed in richer countries, but some markets commonly labeled emerging (for example, in Malaysia, the Republic of Korea, and Thailand) are systematically more developed than some markets commonly labeled developed (for example, in Australia, Canada, and many European countries). World stock markets are booming. Between 1982 and 1993, stock market capitalization grew from $2 trillion to $10 trillion, an average 15 percent a year. A disproportionate amount of this growth was in emerging stock markets, which rose from 3 percent of world stock market capitalization to 14 percent in the same period. Yet there is little empirical evidence about how important stock markets are to long-term economic development. Economists have neither a common concept nor a common measure of stock market development, so we know little about how stock market development affects the rest of the financial system or how corporations finance themselves. Demirgüç-Kunt and Levine collected and compared many different indicators of stock market development using data on 41 countries from 1986 to 1993. Each indicator has statistical and conceptual shortcomings, so they used different measures of stock market size, liquidity, concentration, and volatility, of institutional development, and of international integration. Their goal: to summarize information about a variety of indicators for stock market development, in order to facilitate research into the links between stock markets, economic development, and corporate financing decisions. They highlight certain important correlations: * In the 41 countries they studied, there are enormous cross-country differences in the level of stock market development for each indicator. The ratio of market capitalization to GDP, for example, is greater than 1 in five countries and less than 0.10 in five others. * There are intuitively appealing correlations among indicators. For example, big markets tend to be less volatile, more liquid, and less concentrated in a few stocks. Internationally integrated markets tend to be less volatile. And institutionally developed markets tend to be large and liquid. * The three most developed markets are in Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The most underdeveloped markets are in Colombia, Nigeria, Venezuela, and Zimbabwe. Malaysia, the Republic of Korea, and Switzerland seem to have highly developed stock markets, whereas Argentina, Greece, Pakistan, and Turkey have underdeveloped markets. Markets tend to be more developed in richer countries, but many markets commonly labeled emerging (for example, in Korea, Malaysia, and Thailand) are systematically more developed than markets commonly labeled developed (for example, in Australia, Canada, and many European countries). * Between 1986 and 1993, some markets developed rapidly in size, liquidity, and international integration. Indonesia, Portugal, Turkey, and Venezuela experienced explosive development, for example. Case studies on the reasons for (and economic consequences of) this rapid development could yield valuable insights. * The level of stock market development is highly correlated with the development of banks, nonbank financial institutions (finance companies, mutual funds, brokerage houses), insurance companies, and private pension funds. This paper -- a product of the Finance and Private Sector Development Division, Policy Research Department -- is part of a larger effort in the department to study stock market development. The study was funded by the Bank's Research Support Budget under the research project Stock Market Development and Financial Intermediary Growth (RPO 678-37).

This book provides insights into the evolving debate regarding the mobilization of domestic resources and the crucial role that financial development can and should play in this regard, exploring aspects of the financial development–domestic resource mobilization nexus, including country case studies.

This paper studies the relation between firm's financing choices and financial globalization. Using an East Asian and Latin American firm-level panel for the 1980s and 1990s, we study how leverage ratios, debt maturity structure, and sources of financing change when economies are liberalized and when firms access capital markets. We find that debt-equity rations do not increase after financial liberalization. However, domestic firms that actually participate in international capital markets extend their debt maturity. Financial liberalization has less effects on firms from countries with more developed domestic financial systems. Leverage ratios increase during crises

In the current era of globalised financial markets, the stock market cannot be assessed solely by comparing quantitative features such as the number of listed companies or capitalisation on the stock exchange. This is of secondary importance from an investor's point of view. What is important, however, is how a given stock market behaves towards the environment – whether it is ‘hyperactive’ or ‘excessively lethargic’ in response to information. This book provides an innovative tool for assessing global stock markets. It describes the complex concept of ‘stock market development’ in light of classical and behavioural finance theories and considers both quantitative (the number of listed companies, turnover, etc.) and behavioural aspects (price volatility, the behaviour of fundamental indicators of listed companies). Based on an innovative method for assessing development, the author analyses 130 stock markets, indicating those that are more developed in terms of quantity and behaviour. Ultimately, this enables the assessment of which markets are more or less developed and why. This knowledge, used properly, offers an advantage over other financial market participants, and allows for the comprehensive assessment of individual stock markets, which can support the process of making good investment decisions. The book is an invaluable resource for research fellows and students in economics, particularly the field of finance. It is also addressed to business and stock market practitioners, such as financial market analysts, brokers and investment advisers.

A comprehensive guide to making better capital structure and corporate financing decisions in today's dynamic business environment Given the dramatic changes that have recently occurred in the economy, the topic of capital structure and corporate financing decisions is critically important. The fact is that firms need to constantly revisit their portfolio of debt, equity, and hybrid securities to finance assets, operations, and future growth. Capital Structure and Corporate Financing Decisions provides an in-depth examination of critical capital structure topics, including discussions of basic capital structure components, key theories and practices, and practical application in an increasingly complex corporate world. Throughout, the book emphasizes how a sound capital structure simultaneously minimizes the firm's cost of capital and maximizes the value to shareholders. Offers a strategic focus that allows you to understand how financing decisions relates to a firm's overall corporate policy Consists of contributed chapters from both academics and experienced professionals, offering a variety of perspectives and a rich interplay of ideas Contains information from survey research describing actual financial practices of firms This valuable resource takes a practical approach to capital structure by discussing why various theories make sense and how firms use them to solve problems and create wealth. In the wake of the recent financial crisis, the insights found here are essential to excelling in today's volatile business environment.

The authors analyze the relationship between the development and asset allocation of contractual savings and firms' capital structures. The authors develop a simple model of firms' leverage and debt maturity decisions. They illustrate the mechanisms through which contractual savings development may affect corporate financing patterns. In the empirical section, the authors show that the development and asset allocation of contractual savings have an independent impact on firms' financing choices. Different channels are identified. In market-based economies, an increase in the proportion of shares in the portfolio of contractual savings leads to a decline in firms' leverage. In bank-based economies, instead, an increase in the size of contractual savings is associated with an increase in leverage and debt maturity in the corporate sector.

The Philadelphia Stock Exchange and the City It Made recounts the history of America's first stock exchange and the ways it shaped the growth and decline of the city around it. Founded in 1790, the Philadelphia Stock Exchange, its member firms, and the companies they financed had profound impacts on the city's place in the world economy. At its start, the exchange and its members helped spur the development of the early United States, its financial sector, and its westward expansion. During the nineteenth century, they invested in making Philadelphia the center of industrial America, raising capital for the railroads and coal mines that connected cities to one another and built a fossil fuel-based economy. After financing the Civil War, they underwrote the growth of the modern metropolis, its transportation infrastructure, utility systems, and real estate development. At the turn of the twentieth century, stagnation of the exchange contributed to Philadelphia's loss of power in the national and world economy. This original interpretation of the roots of deindustrialization holds important lessons for other cities that have declined. The exchange's revival following World War II is a remarkable story, but it also illustrates the limits of economic development in postindustrial cities. Unlike earlier eras, the exchange's fortunes diverged from those of the city around it. Ultimately, it became part of a larger, global institution when it merged with NASDAQ in 2008. Far more than a history of a single institution, The Philadelphia Stock Exchange and the City It Made traces the evolving relationship between the exchange and the city. For people concerned with cities and their development, this study offers a long-term history of the public-private partnerships and private sector-led urban development popular today. More generally, it traces the networks of firms and institutions revealed by the securities market and its participants. Herein lies a critical and understudied part of the history of metropolitan economic development.