A Comparison of Static Measures of Liquidity to Integrative Measures of Financial and Operating Liquidity: An Application to Restaurant Operators and Restaurant Franchisors

The results presented in this paper show that integrative financial and operating measures of liquidity provide investors and creditors with information beyond that provided by static measures of short-term liquidity such as the current and quick ratios. Using a sample of restaurant firms over the period 1994–2003, our analysis shows dynamic measures of liquidity provide a drastically different view of short-term solvency than those produced from the static measures. Static measures of liquidity imply that restaurant companies are not liquid. However, when evaluated under this integrative framework, restaurant companies were shown to be more liquid than their current and quick ratios implied. Thus, financial analysts, creditors, and managers should evaluate both static and dynamic liquidity measures when evaluating the short-term financial liquidity and short-term credit worthiness of firms. In addition, careful attention should be paid to both financial and operating measures of liquidity to establish what changes, if any, have occurred in a company\u27s liquidity position over time. This is an important finding for managers and investors in all industries, since short-term illiquidity implies a high risk of default if the banks refuse to refinance all or part of the debt. This in turn may affect the cost of short-term financing and result in an impact on their overall financing costs and required returns from equity investors

Prudential liquidity standards in Asia

Since the outbreak of the global financial crisis, regulators have increased their focus on the ability of banks to measure and manage liquidity risk. In December 2009, the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (the Basel Committee) identified ineffective liquidity management as a key characteristic of the crisis and highlighted the lack of attention that liquidity risk received relative to other risks prior to the crisis. Recognizing the key role of illiquidity in the crisis, the Basel Committee included two global minimum liquidity standards as part of the recently announced Basel III supervisory framework to be implemented over the next seven years. Notably, regulators in a number of Asian economies have had prudential liquidity standards in place for many years. This Asia Focus report defines liquidity and liquidity risk, examines some common prudential liquidity standards in key Asian economies, and briefly considers the potential impact of the proposed Basel III standards on global liquidity risk management.Liquidity (Economics) - Asia ; Bank supervision

Towards a new model for early warning signals for systemic financial fragility and near crises: an application to OECD countries

Using a signal extraction framework and looking at OECD countries over a 30 year period this paper attempts to identify a number of variables significant in predicting near-crises as a pre-cursor to full-fledged crises. These include growth in pension assets as an indicator for the development of liquidity bubbles, equity market dividend yields as a proxy for corporate balance sheet health, banking sector assets growth and relative size to GDP. We also study the development of asset price bubbles through an equity markets indicator and a house price indicator. Finally we also look at a banking sector funding stability indicator and liquidity indicator on a micro-level. Simultaneously, a dynamic research design improves on previous static set-ups and enhances the model predictive power and applicability to different time periods. This paper shows that as early as 2004, clear signals were being given for a number of countries that vulnerabilities were building up with out-of-sample performance better than in-sample in terms of overall noise to signal ratios, showing a significant improvement compared to earlier work. EWS design has significant implications for financial stability and financial regulation.financial crises, financial fragility, liquidity bubbles, early warning signals, financial stability, financial regulation

The Determinants of Corporate Liquidity in the Netherlands

We investigate the driving forces of corporate liquidity for a balanced panel of large Dutch non-financial firms during the period 1986-1997 using an error-correction framework. This framework allows a crucial distinction between short-run and long-run determinants of corporate liquidity. We conclude from our empirical estimates that long-run corporate liquidity targets exist and are based on a small number of firm characteristics. In the short run liquidity responds passively to exogenous shocks. The latter phenomenon is consistent both with buffer stock behaviour and pecking order theory. Passive liquidity behaviour does not extend to the long run, however. On average eighty percent of deviations from target is eliminated within one year. Overall, we conclude that the corporate liquidity ratio is an actively managed financial ratio and does not passively adjust to financial decisions taken elsewhere in the firm. Based on long run evidence, a pecking order theory of corporate liquidity holdings must be rejected.financial economics and financial management ;

Macroeconomic structure and policy in Zimbabwe, analysis and empirical model : 1965-1988

The authors develop and apply a macroeconomic general equilibrium model for Zimbabwe. The country faces the challenge of engaging in a program of fiscal stabilization and structural reform to address its current fiscal imbalance, high unemployment, and low growth prospects. The authors discuss macroeconomic changes over the last two decades, provide a model of the macroeconomic structure, and estimate aggregate equations for the main goods and asset markets. The macroeconomic framework they model integrates three features of the country's macroeconomy: (a) the noninflationary and almost exclusively domestic financing of the public sector deficit, which has been similar in gross terms to the private sector surplus; (b) sustained negative or low real interest rates, together with no apparent sign of excess demand in credit markets; and (c) the fact that sustained, high growth has never materialized after the dramatic economic declines of the late 1970s that resulted from economic sanctions and civil war.Economic Theory&Research,Environmental Economics&Policies,Economic Stabilization,Macroeconomic Management,Financial Intermediation

Expansion of the current methodology for the study of the short-term liquidity problems in a sector

Purpose: The aim of this work consists of defining and applying a new methodology for the calculation of short-term financial ratios that more reliably approximate the solvency of a sector. Design/methodology: We begin with a classic sector analysis and propose the creation of ratios that limit the debt repayment on an individual level and that do not imply the compensation of aggregate balances, as occurs with the current formulas of calculation. Findings: The new methodology more reliably approximates the solvency of a sector by being able to estimate with greater precision its global capacity for short-term debt repayment. Research limitations: The limitations to the proposed sector ratios are the same as the limitations of the customary individual ratios. Therefore, to offer an example, the ratios do not correct the assumption that the only source of resources to meet current liabilities is made up by available and liquid assets. In other words, no new tools are proposed to include future income from sales by the companies. Practical implications: To be able to study the solvency of the different sectors that make up the economy with more uniform criteria. Social implications: The information provided by the new ratios obtained in this work proves to be relevant information in the case of wanting to determine the degree of dependence of companies in a sector on financial institutions, or in the case of wanting to determine the degree of dependence on aid in a subsidized sector. Originality/value: The proposal of new tools that go beyond the current limitations.Peer Reviewe

Capital Regulation, Liquidity Requirements and Taxation in a Dynamic Model of Banking

This paper formulates a dynamic model of a bank exposed to both credit and liquidity risk, which can resolve financial distress in three costly forms: fire sales, bond issuance and equity issuance. We use the model to analyze the impact of capital regulation, liquidity requirements and taxation on banks' optimal policies and metrics of efficiency of intermediation and social value. We obtain three main results. First, mild capital requirements increase bank lending, bank efficiency and social value relative to an unregulated bank, but these benefits turn into costs if capital requirements are too stringent. Second, liquidity requirements reduce bank lending, efficiency and social value significantly, they nullify the benifits of mild capital requirements, and their private and social costs increase monotonically with their stringency. Third, increases in corporate income and bank liabilities taxes reduce bank lending, bank effciency and social value, with tax receipts increasing with the former but decreasing with the latter. Moreover, the effects of an increase in both forms of taxation are dampened if they are jointly implemented with increases in capital and liquidity requirements.Capital requirements;liquidity requirements;taxation of liabilities. JEL Classifications

Dutch corporate liquidity mangement: New evidence on aggregation

In this paper we investigate Dutch corporate liquidity management in general, and target adjustment behaviour in particular. To this purpose, we use a simple error correction model of corporate liquidity holdings applied to firm-level data for the period 1977-1997. We confirm the existence of long-run liquidity targets at the firm level. We also find that changes in liquidity holdings are driven by short-run shocks as well as the urge to converge towards targeted liquidity levels. The rate of target convergence is higher when we include more firm-specific information in the target. This result supports the idea that increased precision in defining liquidity targets associates with a faster observed rate of target convergence. It also suggests that the slow speeds of adjustment obtained in many macro studies on money demand are artefacts of aggregation bias.corporate liquidity demand, precautionary liquidity