Author Archives: Karl Felixson

Strategic Underleveraging and Acquisitions

By | October 27, 2021

Our study investigates the Morellec and Zhdanov (2008) prediction that firms strategically underleverage to win future takeover contests. Since firms undergo arduous and long planning processes well in advance of publicly announcing an acquisition bid, they also pre-plan their financial structure. Recent survey evidence by Aktas et al. (2021) suggests that almost half of all… Read More »

The Initial and Subsequent Credit Rating Effects of Acquisitions

By | July 21, 2021

The financial system has developed several mechanisms to align interests of managers and investors. Our study focuses on one such mechanism—credit rating agencies. The financial crisis of 2008 highlighted the importance of well-functioning credit rating agencies. The failure of credit rating agencies during the crisis was a focus of the Dodd-Frank Act of 2010 (“Dodd-Frank”),… Read More »