The impact of disclosure quality on cost of debt – evidence from Vietnam

We use the S&P 500 to investigate whether companies with a good ESG score benefit from a lower cost of capital. Using Bloomberg’s financial data and MSCI’s ESG score for 498 companies, we calculated the measures of descriptive statistics, finding that companies with better ESG ratings enjoy both a lower cost of equity and a lower cost of debt. However, their WACC shows no improvement with a higher ESG score. Companies with a poor ESG rating have a lower WACC due to the higher proportion of debt capital, coupled with a higher cost of debt, compared to the cost of equity capital. Calculating the Pearson correlation coefficient, we found a slightly negative linear relationship between the ESG score and the beta factor, and between the ESG score and the cost of debt. No linear relationship was found between the WACC and the ESG score. Finally, linear regression analysis shows a negative and significant effect of the ESG score on the root beta factor. This research indicates that companies with better ESG scores benefit from lower cost of equity and debt. Our results may encourage companies to operate more sustainably to reduce their cost of capital.

Corporate hedging and the cost of debt

This paper examines the effect of sustainability performance disclosures on corporate cost of capital. We find that both cost of debt and cost of equity are lower for firms that disclose sustainability performance information, when compared to firms that do not disclosure similar information. We also explore the differential effect of sustainability performance disclosures on both cost of debt and equity and find that the effect is stronger for cost of equity. For corporations that disclose sustainability information, effects with respect to economic, governance, social, ethics and environmental sustainability performance are examined individually. Results show that sustainability disclosures pertaining to the economic, ethics and environment performance unambiguously lower both cost of debt and equity. Furthermore, disclosures regarding social and governance performance only lower cost of debt. Results have policy, practical and education implications by underscoring the value-relevance of currently voluntary sustainability reporting and assurance and a possible move toward improved standardized sustainability disclosures.

Government ownership and the cost of debt: Evidence from government investments in publicly traded firms

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the main and joint effects of politically connected firms (PCFs) and institutional monitoring on the cost of debt.Design/methodology/approachBased on a panel data set of Malaysian politically connected and non-politically connected listed firms from 2002 till 2015, the author performs regression analysis. To address the issue of self-selection, the PCFs’ equation is estimated, following Lennox et al. (2012) and Heckman (1979).FindingsThis paper finds that PCFs are associated with higher cost of debt. However, the positive association between PCFs and the cost of debt is attenuated by higher institutional ownership (IO). Further test reveals that monitoring by institutional investors is heterogeneous from the perspective of domicile. Local institutional investors are associated with lower cost of debt, particularly in PCFs, while foreign institutional investors are associated with higher cost of debt.Originality/valueThe author shows that firm outcome, i.e. cost of debt in emerging markets can differ from advanced markets due to different institutional setting. Additionally, different types of political ties can produce different firm outcomes: GLCs are associated with lower cost of debt as opposed to connected firms based on personal ties. However, agency problems in PCFs can be alleviated through effective institutional monitoring. Consistent with geographical proximity theory, local institutional investors play a more effective monitoring role in Malaysian listed firms, thus lowering cost of debt. Overall, the results contribute to deeper understanding on variation in firm outcomes between emerging and advanced markets.

PurposeThis study aims to investigate the relation between firms’ use of related party transactions (RPTs) and cost of debt (COD) in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries.Design/methodology/approachThe authors obtain data from annual reports and the Standard and Poor’s Capital IQ database over the period 2005–2016 period of nonfinancial publicly listed firms on the UAE, KSA, Oman, Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar stock exchanges. Using a final sample of 1,810 firm-year observations, the authors empirically assess the relation between strategic use of RPTs, the COD issuance and the moderating effects of governance mechanisms.FindingsThe authors find that high levels of total RPTs and purchase-based RPTs increase firms’ COD. Furthermore, propping of sales through increased sale-based RPTs is found not to have a significant effect on firms’ COD. The authors also find that ownership factors pertaining to family member founding and royal family ownership negatively moderate the association between the firm’s RPTs and COD. Additionally, the voluntary formation of executive committees has a positive and significant mediating effect on the relation between firms’ purchase-based RPTs and COD. The results are robust to several additional tests and alternative measurement specifications.Research limitations/implicationsThe positive relationship between purchase-based RPTs and firm financing costs is magnified in countries with high quality of RPT disclosures. This has implications for funding of GCC entities by governments and financial institutions.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to examine how wealth transfer via RPTs in the GCC region is associated with higher COD. The authors also contribute to the outcome of emerging governance regimes in the GCC, which could impact the level of credit risk and/or default risk faced by a firm and, thus, the relation between RPTs and COD. In doing so, the authors provide a more nuanced study by investigating the potential channels that could account for such a relation in an emerging market setting.

Research background: In recent decades, companies have paid increasing attention to corporate social responsibility (CSR) and its related performance. Scandinavian countries lead the world in CSR and sustainability. The good CSR performance of Scandinavian companies has motivated studies on this phenomenon, particularly on the connection between a company's CSR and its performance. One of the most important performance indicators and value drivers is the cost of debt. Purpose of the article: This study assessed the impact of CSR on the cost of debt in Scandinavian public companies. Methods: The research was divided into two stages. In the first stage, Scandinavian public companies were divided into two groups (with and without ESG (environmental, social, governance) disclosure scores) to reveal differences in the cost of debt. In the second stage, a fixed-effects regression model for balanced panel data sets was applied from 2011 to 2020 to assess the impact of ESG and its pillars on the cost of debt. Findings & value added: The results revealed that the cost of debt of companies in Scandinavian countries with ESG disclosure scores was significantly lower. The ESG disclosure scores of these companies have increased significantly over the past 10 years. We found a positive impact of CSR on the cost of debt in Scandinavian public companies. The increase in ESG disclosure and pillar scores reduced the cost of debt. These findings are valuable from a scientific perspective. Scandinavian public companies with ESG scores have higher financial risk, but lower cost of debt. These results support the importance of investors' behavior, information asymmetry, and signaling. The findings have several implications for shareholders, managers and creditors. They suggest that creditors consider ESG disclosures when determining a borrower's creditworthiness. Additionally, it is a message to regulators that the debt market values ESG disclosures.

ABSTRACTWe investigate the relationship between the cost of debt issued by bank holding companies (BHCs) and thrift holding companies (THCs) and their use of Federal Home Loan Bank (FHLB) advances. Cost of debt is used as a measure of bank riskiness for the first time in a FHLB study. A two-equation model of FHLB advances and cost of debt is estimated. Three main results are obtained. First, greater reliance on advances by BHCs and THCs is associated with lower cost of debt in the pre-crisis period, and more strongly so during the crisis, because granting of advances sends a positive signal to the market about FHLB’s support. Second, greater holding company (HC) cost of debt, as an explanatory variable, is associated with smaller advances as FHLBs restrict advances to riskier HCs. Third, we find no separate effect on the cost of debt from FHLB membership. Our results are robust to 3SLS estimation, used to address endogeneity, and to alternative model specifications. The negative association between cost of debt and advances suggests that BHCs and THCs do not use advances to make riskier loans and that FHLB policies and services have some risk-reducing effects which more than offset the effect of potential moral hazards.

Measuring the quality of corporate disclosure in less developed countries: The case of Tanzania

Evidence about the effect of voluntary audits on the cost of debt is mixed, and there is no research about the effects of mandatory audits and the non-compliance with the audit requirement. Using a sample of Spanish SMEs, where some companies are exempt from audit and some are mandatorily audited, we examine if audits, either mandatory or voluntary, help to reduce the cost of debt. We do not find a significant association between voluntary audits and cost of debt, whereas companies that breach the audit requirement have a higher cost of debt than the mandatorily audited ones. This suggests that differences in the cost of debt between audited and unaudited companies are associated with a “punishment” for companies that shun the mandatory audit rather than a “reward” for voluntarily audited companies. Moreover, within audited SMEs, we do not find that those audited by large auditors have a lower cost of debt.

PurposeThis study aims to shed light on the effect of corporate social responsibility (CSR) on the cost of debt. It also investigates whether audit quality affects the cost of debt incurred by socially responsible firms.Design/methodology/approachBased on a sample of French non-financial companies over the period 2005 to 2016, this paper uses panel data regressions. This paper re-estimates the model using Newey-West standard errors and the weighted-least-squares method. For further robustness, this paper runs instrumental variable regressions using the two-stage instrument variable method (two-stage least square).FindingsThe results show a negative relationship between CSR performance and the cost of debt, suggesting that financial institutions are likely to apply preferential costs for socially responsible firms. Financial institutions reward socially responsible companies as they recognize the potentiality of CSR to reduce firm risk and enhance its reputation. The findings also show that the perceived audit quality, along with CSR performance, are relevant to banks in the pricing of debt. The incremental audit quality, attributable to audits by the Big 4 auditors, decreases the cost of debt for CSR firms. Big 4 auditors are expected to, simultaneously, play information and insurance roles, thereby enhancing the firm risk profile. The results are robust to alternative audit quality measures (i.e. audit fees).Practical implicationsThis study has important implications for managers and banks. Managers will be able to understand the effect of CSR on financing costs with relevant implications for strategic financing planning. Firms are also encouraged to signal their commitment to maintain a high-level quality reporting and reduce agency costs through their expenditure in auditing (i.e. hiring a large well-known audit firm). Moreover, this study sensitizes banking institutions to encourage the concept of socially responsible finance and consider soft information (i.e. involvement in societal issues, corporate citizen, trustworthiness, integrity and non-opportunistic behavior), as part of the credit decision-making and debt pricing process.Originality/valueThis study extends the literature on CSR and the cost of debt. Unlike prior studies, this paper focuses on the debt-pricing effects of audit quality for CSR firms. Audit quality is deemed to be an important governance feature that is likely to constraint opportunistic behaviors (i.e. CSR diversion) and play information and insurance roles to lenders. Audit quality (perceived or real), along with CSR performance, are associated with lower costs of debt.

Evidence about the effect of voluntary audits on the cost of debt is mixed, and there is no research about the effects of mandatory audits and the non-compliance with the audit requirement. Using a sample of Spanish SMEs, where some companies are exempt from audit and some are mandatorily audited, we examine if audits, either mandatory or voluntary, help to reduce the cost of debt. We do not find a significant association between voluntary audits and cost of debt, whereas companies that breach the audit requirement have a higher cost of debt than the mandatorily audited ones. This suggests that differences in the cost of debt between audited and unaudited companies are associated with a “punishment” for companies that shun the mandatory audit rather than a “reward” for voluntarily audited companies. Moreover, within audited SMEs, we do not find that those audited by large auditors have a lower cost of debt.

Board connectedness, a result of directors serving the boards of more than one firm, impacts companies positively (access to resources provided by connected directors) and negatively (directors being “spread too thin”). Given that debt quality has a high influence on the cost of debt, this paper examines how the cost of debt (bond yield spread) is influenced by a firm's board connectedness while considering the effect that debt quality (bond ratings) may have on such a relationship. Results show that the relationship between connectedness and the cost of debt is highly dependent on debt quality, where connectedness is associated with a lower cost of debt if debt quality is high; however, connectedness is also associated with a higher cost of debt if debt quality is low. We also note that as the debt quality for connected firms decreases as their cost of debt increases. We are contributing to administrative sciences by studying one of its key elements: governance, more specifically the connectivity of boards of directors. This contributes to the current debate on the effect of board connectivity: prior research has not provided conclusive results, and we show that the effect is different based on the characteristics of the firm's debt.

The ongoing globalization era is marked by free trade, will bring uncertainty to the Indonesian economy. These uncertainties include fluctuations of exchange rate, interest rates, and commodity prices. This will certainly pose risks, including financial risks that can increase the firm's cost of debt as a risk premium for investors. This study aims to determine the effect of hedging calculated using dummy variable to cost of debt proxies with yield spread. In addition, the bond age, credit rating, leverage, and profitability are used as control variables. The sample which used is manufacturing firm that issues bonds and is listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) for the period 2009-2015. The result of multiple linear regression shows that hedging has a significant negative effect on the cost of debt. Bond age and credit rating have a significant negative effect on cost of debt. Leverage has no significant positive effect on cost of debt. Profitability has no significant negative effect on cost of debt. Hedging lowers cost of debt through decreased bankruptcy costs, agency costs, and information asymmetry. So firms that use hedging will have a lower cost of debt than non-users.

PurposeThe aim of this study is to investigate the effect of web - based disclosure on the cost of debt for the MENA region setting.Design/methodology/approachThe sample of this paper consists of 237 MENA listed non-financial companies for the year 2017. Multiple regression models were used to examine the impact of online disclosure on the cost of debt. Content analysis is used to measure the extent of web-based disclosure.FindingsThe results reveal that there is a negative and significant association between the web-based disclosure and the company’s cost of debt. These results support the hypothesis of the economic utility of the information disclosed on the website for creditors in this region.Practical implicationsThe results of the study have important implications for managers in the MENA region. It is necessary for managers to improve the company’s transparency through web-based disclosure. The companies must benefit from the different technologies offered by the Internet in order to offer to the creditors unlimited access to up to date information. In fact, web-based disclosure may mitigate the information asymmetry, the uncertainty of creditors and, consequently, reduces the cost of debt. 10; 10;Moreover, the results of the study provide empirical evidence for the advantages of voluntary web-based disclosure. The results highlight the importance to companies and regulators of understanding the benefits of using the website as a means of information disclosure. The regulators in MENA countries can rely on these results to establish suitable policies to improve the quality of web-based disclosure. The regulators need also to put in rules in relation to the online disclosure. In fact, an understanding of web-based disclosure is important for regulators and companies. Given the positive effect of online disclosure (the reduction of the cost of debt), knowledge about the economic consequences of web-based disclosure would enable companies in the MENA region to optimize their online disclosure policies.Originality/valueThis study, added to the existing literature by examining the consequences of online disclosure practices in MENA countries. Most previous studies conducted in this region were limited to analyzing the determinants of the company’s web-based disclosure. This paper would extend the literature on the online disclosure practices by investigating the association between these practices and the cost of debt in a developing economics: the MENA region. Previous studies were limited to testing this association only in developed countries.