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U.S. multinationals and cash holdings

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  • Gu, Tiantian
Abstract
U.S. multinational firms hold significantly more cash than domestic firms. I study this cash differential using a dynamic model featuring corporate physical and intangible investment, cross-border decisions, and financial policies. I find that the cash differential diminishes by 42% if repatriation costs are set to zero. Hence, costly repatriation induces cash accumulation offshore. Further, firms that invest overseas have different ex ante cash policies from firms that do not. I examine this self-selection effect by eliminating heterogeneous intangibility across multinational and domestic firms, which reduces the cash differential by 28%. I also examine the likelihood of corporate inversion under federal regulations. The estimated annual tax loss to the U.S. Treasury from inversions is reduced from $2.2 billion to $1.3 billion if the requirements for foreign ownership are tightened from 20% to 50%.

Suggested Citation

  • Gu, Tiantian, 2017. "U.S. multinationals and cash holdings," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 125(2), pages 344-368.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jfinec:v:125:y:2017:i:2:p:344-368
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jfineco.2017.05.007
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    3. Onali, Enrico & Mascia, Danilo V., 2022. "Corporate diversification and stock risk: Evidence from a global shock," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 72(C).
    4. Xueyan Dong & Kam C. Chan & Yujia Cui & Jenny Xinjiao Guan, 2021. "Strategic deviance and cash holdings," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 48(3-4), pages 742-782, March.
    5. Josh Lerner & Amit Seru, 2017. "The Use and Misuse of Patent Data: Issues for Corporate Finance and Beyond," NBER Working Papers 24053, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
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    7. Chadwick Curtis & Julio Garin & Saif Mehkari, 2020. "Repatriation Taxes," Review of Economic Dynamics, Elsevier for the Society for Economic Dynamics, vol. 36, pages 293-313, April.
    8. Albertus, James F. & Glover, Brent & Levine, Oliver, 2022. "Foreign investment of US multinationals: The effect of tax policy and agency conflicts," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 144(1), pages 298-327.
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Cash holdings; Multinationals; Intangibles; Structural estimation;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C61 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Mathematical Methods; Programming Models; Mathematical and Simulation Modeling - - - Optimization Techniques; Programming Models; Dynamic Analysis
    • E22 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Investment; Capital; Intangible Capital; Capacity
    • F23 - International Economics - - International Factor Movements and International Business - - - Multinational Firms; International Business
    • G32 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Financing Policy; Financial Risk and Risk Management; Capital and Ownership Structure; Value of Firms; Goodwill

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