 Does the firm's life cycle matter in the relationship between short‐term debt and investment efficiency?Ala'a Adden Awni Abuhommous International Journal of Finance & Economics, 2025, vol. 30, issue 2, 1429-1449 Abstract: In this paper, we investigate the role of short‐term debt in investment efficiency, and we examine the impact of the firm's life cycle stages on this relationship. Using data from non‐financial companies in the United States from 1971 to 2021, we argue that the short‐term debt may reduce the information asymmetries and discipline the management decisions, thus improving the investment efficiency. We argue, however, that the relationship varies throughout different life cycle stages. We find that short‐term debt positively influences investment efficiency and over‐investment. Furthermore, the firm's life cycle significantly impacts investment efficiency, with the introduction and growth stages negatively associated with it. The life cycle also affects the relationship between short‐term debt and investment efficiency, particularly during the growth stage. These results emphasis the role of short‐term debt and the firm's life cycle in mitigating information asymmetries and shaping management behaviour. Date: 2025 Downloads: (external link) Related works: Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:wly:ijfiec:v:30:y:2025:i:2:p:1429-1449 Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from Access Statistics for this article International Journal of Finance & Economics is currently edited by Mark P. Taylor, Keith Cuthbertson and Michael P. Dooley More articles in International Journal of Finance & Economics from John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. |
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