The role of cash holdings during financial crises

Abstract

We examine the role of cash holdings during crises, whether the firm with higher cash holdings could quickly recover the operating performance after the financial crisis. We find that if a firm has higher cash holdings, its operating performance recovers more rapidly after financial crisis; these results hold after accounting for endogeneity and various robustness tests. Regarding possible transmission channels, we find that higher cash holdings increase capital expenditures and R&D expenditures, which improves firms' performance more rapidly after financial crisis. Furthermore, differences in financing constraints, corporate governance, and degree of financial development affect the relationship between cash holdings and post-crisis speed of recovery. Thus, firms should judiciously reserve cash holdings in their accounts to safeguard against unexpected emergencies.