The Effects of Future Capital Investment and R&D Expenditures on Firms' Liquidity
Review of International Economics
Published online on July 14, 2013
Abstract
The paper explores factors that lead to accumulation or decumulation of firms' cash reserves. In particular, the paper empirically examines whether additional future fixed capital and R&D investment expenditures induce firms to change their liquidity ratio while considering the role of market imperfections. Implementing a dynamic framework on a panel of US, UK, and German firms, it is found that firms in all three countries make larger adjustments to cash holdings when they plan additional future R&D rather than fixed capital investment expenditures. This behavior is particularly prevalent among financially constrained firms.