The Trade Credit Channel of Monetary Policy Transmission: Evidence from Non-Financial Firms in Turkey (Firma Ticari Borclari ve Kredi Aktarim Mekanizmasi: Turkiye Ornegi)

Abstract

This study investigates the trade credit channel of monetary policy transmission in Turkey by using a large data set of corporate firms, which includes detailed information on balance sheets and income statements of firms regularly reported to the Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey (CBRT) in the period of 1996-2008. It suggests that the composition of external finance differs considerably across firm types based on size and export performance under tight and loose financial conditions. For both manufacturing and non-manufacturing firms, small and medium-sized firms (SMEs) and firms with low export share are financially constrained especially in tight periods. Findings suggest that those firms, which are financially constrained, tend to substitute trade credits for bank loans in tight periods. On the other hand, the evidence for large and export-oriented firms differs significantly across manufacturing and nonmanufacturing sectors such that manufacturing firms are more likely to have access to bank finance in tight periods compared to non-manufacturing firms. Large trade credits volume in firms’ balance sheets and its response to monetary stance imply that trade credit channel may mute the traditional credit channel of monetary transmission.Credit Channel, Trade Credits, Monetary Policy Transmission