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Does carbon emission trading policy induce financialization of non-financial firms? Evidence from China

Xiaoliang Zhang and Xiaojia Zheng

Energy Economics, 2024, vol. 131, issue C

Abstract: The carbon emission trading scheme influences firms’ operation costs, which may induce resource diversion to financial investments. By using a sample of Chinese A-share non-financial listed firms that are subject to carbon emission trading pilot programs in China, this paper employs a differences-in-differences analysis to test the impact of carbon emission trading on firms’ financial asset allocation. We find that carbon emission trading significantly increases corporate financialization, especially long-term financial assets. The effect is stronger in firms with stronger profit-seeking incentives and weaker governance, suggesting the mechanism of capital profit-seeking and management opportunism under increased operation costs and risk. Further heterogeneity analysis indicates that the positive association between carbon emission trading and corporate financialization is more pronounced in non-state-owned enterprises, carbon-intensive firms, and firms in regions with developed financial markets or more volatile carbon markets.

Keywords: Carbon emission trading; greenhouse gases; environmental regulations; corporate financialization (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: G11 G32 G34 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:eneeco:v:131:y:2024:i:c:s0140988324000240

DOI: 10.1016/j.eneco.2024.107316

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Energy Economics is currently edited by R. S. J. Tol, Beng Ang, Lance Bachmeier, Perry Sadorsky, Ugur Soytas and J. P. Weyant

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