Documente Academic
Documente Profesional
Documente Cultură
Fins3616 - 2009
Paul Ye
Page 1 of 58
Page 2 of 58
Page 3 of 58
Calculate net present value 0 based on expected future cash flows and the appropriate
risk-adjusted discount rate .................................................................................................. 38
The international Parity Conditions & Cross border capital budgeting............................... 39
Disequilibria in the international parity conditions ............................................................. 41
Special circumstances in project valuation.......................................................................... 42
Page 4 of 58
Page 5 of 58
Capital markets are markets for long term assets and liabilities, with maturities greater than
one year. The most important components of the capital markets are publicly traded stocks
and bonds. Investments in internationally traded stocks and bonds are attractive for 2
reasons. First although much of the world’s wealth reside in the developed markets,
emerging markets are more likely to experience above-average economic growth. Second,
international diversification results in lower portfolio risk than purely domestic
diversification because of the relatively low correlations between national market returns.
Well known borrowers: include MNCs, governments and their agencies, and the World Bank.
Global equity offerings: Cross listing shares on more than one stock exchange can increase
demand and enhance share price. i.e. US companies listing abroad experience less of an
adverse price reaction than similar companies issuing equity in the US. Non-US companies
listing in the US often increase in value.
Page 6 of 58
Securities Regulation in Japan: new public issues in Japan must be approved by the
Japanese Ministry of Finance. The Japanese government takes an active role in determining
which companies are allowed to issue securities and in regulating trade in these issues.
The 1995 ‘Big Bang’ allowed banks into investment banking and securities trading industries.
Securities regulation in the European Union: the EU passed a series of directives designed
to harmonise securities regulation and market operation across its member states.
Direct purchase in the foreign market: this is the most straightforward way to diversify
internationally. However, for small investors, there a several problems:
Page 7 of 58
Direct Purchase in the domestic market: a growing number of MNCs are issuing shares
directly in the well developed equity markets of Europe, North America, and southeast asia.
Companies can list their shares on foreign exchanges as global shares or depository receipts.
• Global shares: represent a claim on a single class of stock issued in multiple markets
around the world. Even though they trade in a domestic market, global shares are in
fact foreign shares because they are fungible one for one with global shares trading
in other markets.
• Depository receipts: derivative securities that represent a claim on a block of foreign
stock held by a domestic trustee. Depository receipts are denominated in the
domestic currency, regulated by domestic authorities, and usually sold through a
domestic broker.
• Mutual funds: small investors face formidable information and transaction costs in
international markets. These costs can be reduced by concentrating funds from
many investors in a mutual fund managed by one or a few professional portfolio
managers.
o Open end fund: the amount of money under management grows (shrinks) as
investors invest in (disinvest) the fund. (named managed funds in Australia)
o Closed end fund: funds under management are fixed and shares are traded in
the market like a depository receipt.
*A fund’s net asset value (NAV) is the sum of the individual asset values in the fund.
• Hedge funds: private investment partnerships or limited liability companies with a
general manager and a small number of limited partners. A typical hedge fund pays
the general partner a 2% manage fee and 20% of profits.
• Private equity: is a type of hedge fund that specialises in private companies. Private
equity strategies include buyouts and venture capital investments.
• Stock index options: traded on many international stocks and stock indices.
• A stock index (equity) swap is possible if another party can be found that wants to
swap into or out of a foreign market for a period of time.
Page 8 of 58
Investment philosophy:
• Passive fund management: many passive funds are index funds that try to hold the
same proportion of stocks as a major market index. They are less costly to
implement and less risky than an actively managed portfolio invested in similar
assets, at least for the investor without above average skill. The disadvantage is that
returns are likely to be not much better than returns on a benchmark portfolio of
comparable risk.
• Active fund management: successful active fund management holds out the promise
of higher portfolio return and, by avoiding assets that fall in value, lower portfolio
risk as well. Actively managed funds follow one or both of the following investment
strategies:
o Active asset allocation (market timing): funds are shifted between asset
classes in anticipation of market events
o Active security selection (stock picking): funds are invested in stocks or bonds
that are considered to be under-priced by the marketplace and not invested
(or sold short) in those securities that are over priced by the marketplace.
Where [
] represent the firm’s expected cash flow at time , and let be the
appropriate risk adjusted cost of capital.
Tax preference items: items such as investment tax credits and tax loss carry-forwards, that
are used to shield taxable income from taxes. Deductions for tax preference items generally
should be taken as soon as possible to maximise the present value of the tax shields.
The biggest incentive to hedge currency risks comes from a tax-loss carryforwards,
particularly for firms with volatile incomes that alternate between gains and losses.
*Suppose a US MNC has a taxable income of $300,000 or $1,500,000 with equal probability.
1 1
× (20% × 300000) + × (30% × 1500000) = 213000
2 2
Page 10 of 58
*Suppose that the firm value, in the absence of hedging is either $750 or $1750 with equal
probability. You have to pay a debt of $1000.
[%
&' ] = (0.5)(0) + (0.5)($750) = $375
. [%
&' ] = $250
The value of the firm’s assets has not changed; there is still $1250 between debt and equity.
However, the distribution of this value between debt and equity does change; debt is
certain to receive its promised payment of $1000, and equity is certain to receive the
residual value of $250. When exposure to currency risk is hedged, the net effect of hedging
is to transfer $125 of value from equity to debt.
Suppose directs costs of $500 are incurred if the company defaults on its debt. Using
previous example:
If the assets of the firm are worth $750, and the firm stills has to pay a debt of $1000, then
the firm is bankrupted. Therefore the firm has to pay $500 bankruptcy cost, and $250 (left
over) to debt, leaving nothing for the shareholders.
However, if the firm is hedged, it will eliminate currency risk and lock in a firm value of
$1250 with certainty, then debt always receives its promised payment of $1000 and stock
receives the $250 residual value. The firm can avoid the potential of a $500 direct
bankruptcy cost by hedging its exposure to currency risk.
Indirect costs of financial distress: financial distress affects all of the firm’s stakeholders,
including customers, suppliers, and employees, as well as debt holders, shareholders, and
managers. Financial distress affects operations in several ways:
Page 11 of 58
• Lost credibility: firms find it more difficult to sell their produces once rumours of an
impending collapse become public. This is especially true of products for which
quality and aftersale services are important.
o Lower revenues
o Higher operating costs
o Higher financial costs
• Stakeholder gamesmanship (conflicts of interest among the firm’s stakeholders)
In summary:
• Hedging can increase firm value and the expected cash flows available to debt and
equity by reducing the direct and indirect costs of financial distress
• Generally increase the value of debt by reducing the variability of operating cash
flows and ensuring that debt receives its promised payment
• Equity may or may not benefit from hedging, depending on whether the increase in
firm value is more or less than the transfer of value to the debt from the reduction in
risk
Agency Costs
Conflicts of interest between Managers and Other Stakeholders: manager’s objectives are
naturally different from those of other stakeholders. This leads to agency conflicts as
managers act nominally as agents for the firm’s stakeholders, but in actuality in their own
interests. Typically, managers are seldom as diversified as other stakeholders, as their
livelihood are intimately tied to their employer’s prosperity. On the other hand, debt and
equity stakeholders is diversified across a variety of assets in their investment portfolios.
This means that managers are concerned with the total risk of the company, whereas debt
and equity are more concerned with the contribution of the company to the risk of their
portfolios. Managers thus have an incentive to hedge against currency risk even if these
risks are diversifiable to other stakeholders.
Agency costs are costs of ensuring that managers act in the interest of other stakeholders.
Hedging can increase value of the firm to shareholders by aligning managements’ incentive
with shareholder’s objectives and thereby reducing agency costs.
Page 12 of 58
As corporations grow beyond their traditional domestic markets and become multinational
in scope, they must develop a financial system capable of managing the international
transactions and currency risk exposures of the individual operating divisions and the
corporation as a whole.
The treasury serves as a corporate bank that manages cash flows within the corporation and
between the corporation and its external partners. It performs several functions pertinent
to its international operations:
Page 13 of 58
The rise of international package delivery services such as federal express has greatly
reduced the costs and risks of international shipments for many businesses.
• Open account
• Cash in advance
• Documentary collections
• Documentary credits
Page 14 of 58
Solution:
$?,>>>,>>>
The all in cost is then B $<C=,?D<
E − 1 = 1.51% F-. 3 G/4ℎ5, or
Counter Trade
Also called barter or reciprocal trade – refers to a variety of barter-like techniques used to
exchange goods and services without the use of cash. Example include:
Cash Management
To effectively manage its financial resources, the MNC’s treasury must implement a cash
management system that tracks cash receipts and disbursements within the company and
with the company’s external partners.
Multinational Netting: a tool in which intra firm transfers are minimised by ‘netting’
offsetting cash flows in carious currencies.
Forecasting Cash Flows and Funds Needs: by tracking cash flows to and from the firm’s
external suppliers and customers and serving as a central clearinghouse for intra-firm
transactions, the MNC’s treasury is in an excellent position to forecast the funding needs of
the corporation. With accurate forecasts of cash requirements, the treasury can ensure that
each operating division has sufficient funds to run its operations.
Page 15 of 58
Relationship Management
Credit management: managing international credit relations is a good deal harder than
domestic relations because of cross-border differences in laws, business and accounting
conventions, banking relations, and political systems.
Transfer Pricing: all else constant, the multinational corporation has a tax incentive to shift
revenues toward low-tax jurisdictions and shift expenses toward high tax jurisdictions.
Identifying divisional costs of capital: finance theory states that managers should use a
discount rate that reflects the market’s opportunity cost of capital in order to maximise
shareholder wealth. Treasury must be in contract with capital markets on a continuing basis,
and so is in a good position to identify required returns on new investments.
A US firm expects to receive 40,000 Polish zlotys(Z) in 1 year. The spot rate expected to
prevail in 1 year is [L? $/M ] = $25/Z. What effect will an annual spot rate of L? $/M = $20/N
have on the firm?
Page 16 of 58
Page 17 of 58
• Technical analysis: uses the recent history of exchange rates to predict exchange
rates (short term)
• Fundamental analysis: uses macroeconomic data to predict exchange rates (Longer
term)
Page 18 of 58
corporation as a whole by consolidating and netting the exposures of the firm’s operating
units.
Leading and Lagging: refers to altering the timing of cash flows within the firm to offset
foreign exchange exposures.
Page 19 of 58
• Leading: if a parent firm is short euros, it can accelerate euro payments from its
subsidiaries
• Lagging: if a parent firm is long euros, it can delay euro payments to its subsidiaries
Leading and lagging can be beneficial to the firm, but it can distort rates of return earned by
the various affiliates. Leading or lagging creates an internal loan from one unit of the firm to
another. The best alternative for solving the incentive problems created by leading or
lagging is for treasury to charge market rates of interest on these intra-company deposits
and loans.
*A US firm will receive 1million British pounds in a year, and the expected exchange rate is
L = 1.5$/£. How should the firm financially hedge?
Page 20 of 58
-£1,000,000
The combination of the underlying exposure and the forward market hedge results in no net
£ exposure.
Many MNCs choose to hedge only a fraction of their exposures. i.e. Partial hedges.
Forwards Futures
Counterparty Bank Futures exchange
clearinghouse
Maturity Negotiated Standardised
Amount Negotiated Standardised
Fees Bid-Ask Commissions
Collateral Negotiated Margin account
Options: A pound call is an option to buy pounds. A long pound call is an option to buy
pounds sterling at a contractual exercise price.
Page 21 of 58
A currency put option is an option to sell pounds, a long pound put is an option to sell
pounds sterling at a contractual exercise price.
*Suppose you want to lock in pound cash outflows of £1million per year for the next several
years. Suppose further that $ = £ , and that $/£ = L $/£ = $1.50/£
I’ll pay you £1million each period, if you pay me $1.5million each period.
*Suppose you want to hedge a £1,000,000 cash inflow due in one year with a short pound
forward contract. Suppose further that
Page 22 of 58
Active management of currency risk: about 10% of US derivative users report that they
‘frequently’ alter the size or timing of their financial hedges based on their market
expectations.
Benchmarking the performance of an actively managed hedge: Firms that actively manage
their exposures need toe evaluate their performance against a benchmark. Forward rates
are a simple and appropriate benchmark, as they reflect the market’s view of future spot
rates through forward parity and the opportunity costs of capital in the foreign and
domestic currencies through interest rate parity.
Evaluating the performance of active risk management: once a benchmark is selected, the
performance of a hedge or of a hedging program must be evaluated according to some
criterion.
Summary
Active treasuries:
Page 23 of 58
• Firms use compensation contracts to align managers’ objectives with those of other
stakeholders
• Firms use derivatives specific controls such as performance benchmarks to manage
potential abuses
Operating exposure is less visible than transaction exposure, but is often the more
important exposure. Operating exposure to currency risk is defined as change in the value of
nonmonetary cash flows (that is, the noncontractual cash flows of the firm’s real assets) due
to unexpected changes in currency values.
*Transaction exposure: For Motor will receive £1million from its UK customer 3 months
later
*Operating exposure: Ford Motor’s sales to its UK customer over next 5 years.
Page 24 of 58
Revenues
Local Global
Operating Expenses
Local Domestic Firms (0) Exporters (+)
Global Importers (-) Global MNCs&
Importers/exporters
in competitive global
markets (+,-,0)
Domestic firms with revenues and operating expenses that are locally determined are the
least sensitive to currency movements. This is the case when local factor and products
markets are segmented from foreign markets.
Exporters face an exposure that is opposite that of importers. i.e. MNC with international
involvement through its revenue stream. The exporter manufactures goods in a local
economy and sells into competitive global markets. If the local market is segmented from
other markets, the exporter is positively exposed to foreign currency values. If the
exporter’s goods are sold in competitive global markets, both costs and revenues move with
foreign currency values.
Page 25 of 58
price and contribution margin in the domestic currency, then a foreign currency
appreciation results in a drop in the foreign currency price and export volume should rise. In
either case, the value of the exporter in its domestic currency should rise.
.
=∝ + W X 5
/X
+ Y
Where .
= equity return in the domestic currency d in period t
5
/X
= percentage change in the spot exchange rate during period t
Page 26 of 58
An importer’s financial market hedging alternatives: importers buy their goods from
foreign suppliers and have obligations in foreign currencies. Alternatives are:
• Advantages
o Most financial market instruments are actively traded and liquid
o In efficient markets, financial transactions are zero-NPV transactions
• Disadvantages
o A financial market hedge provides an imperfect hedge of operating exposure
of currency risk
• Plant location: the MNCs can gain an advantage over domestic rivals by securing low
cost labour, capital, or resources through its plant location decisions. These decisions
must consider a number of local factors, including labour costs, labour and capital
productivities, taxes and tariffs, and legal, institutional and social infrastructures.
• Product sourcing: shift production to countries with low real costs Importers and
MNCs with a global manufacturing base or established networks of foreign suppliers
can respond more quickly than domestic competitors to real changes in currency
values. As local real costs or exchange rates change, MNCs can shift production
toward locations with the lowest real costs. Diversifying production across countries
also hedges against exposures to political risk.
• Market selection and promotion: shift marketing efforts toward countries with
higher demand or ‘over valued’ currencies when local markets are segmented
from global competition, local prices and costs are slow to adjust to real changes in
exchange rates. In these circumstances, a real appreciation of a foreign currency
benefits exporters by increasing the purchasing power of foreign customers. In the
presence of real exchange rate changes, globally diversified MNCs can shift their
marketing efforts towards countries with overvalued currencies and thus create a
spectrum of favourable pricing alternatives.
Page 27 of 58
Advantages:
• Operating hedges create a fundamental change in the way the MNC does business
and thus a long lasting change to the company’s currency risk exposure
• With established international relations, the MNC is in a good position to take
advantage of international opportunities as they arise
Disadvantages:
• Hold the euro price constant: sell the same quantity at a bigger yen profit margin per
unit
• Hold the yen price constant: lower the euro price and capture higher sales volume
• The optimal pricing strategy for this Japanese exporter depends on the price
elasticity of demand for its products
o If demand is price elastic, then the firm is indifferent between maintaining
the $10 price or maintaining the S$20 price
o If demand is price inelastic, then the firm is better off maintaining the $10
price
Page 28 of 58
In its consolidated financial statements, a parent company with foreign operations must
translate the assets and liabilities of its foreign subsidiaries into its reporting currency.
Translation (accounting) exposures refers to the impact of exchange rate changes on the
parent firm’s consolidated financial statements.
Translation accounting
Financial accounting strives for 2 goals:
These objectives can be in conflict when the market values of assets or liability are
unobservable.
Methods of translation
Current/noncurrent method in use in US prior to 1976
Monetary/nonmonetary or temporal method used in 1976
The current rate method used in 1982
Current/Noncurrent:
1. Current assets and liabilities are translated at the current exchange rate
2. Noncurrent assets and liabilities are translated at historical exchange rates
3. Most income statement items are related to current assets or current liabilities and
are translated at the average exchange rate over the reporting period
4. Depreciation is related to noncurrent assets and is translated at historical excahgne
rates.
Page 29 of 58
*current exchange rate is the one prevailing on the date of the financial statement.
Historical exchange rates are those that prevailed when items were first entered into the
accounts.
Temporal:
1. Monetary assets and liabilities are translated at the current exchange rate
2. All other assets and liabilities are translated at historical exchange rates
3. Most income statement items are related to current item and are translated at the
average exchange rate over the reporting period
4. Depreciation and COGS are related to real assets and translated at historical
exchange rates
*problems with this method: translation gains or losses were reflected in reported earnings
on the income statement
Current rate:
1. All assets and liabilities except common equity are translated at the current
exchange rate
2. Common equity is translated at historical exchange rates
3. Income statement items are translated at a current exchange rate
4. Any imbalance between the book value of assets and liabilities is recorded as a
separate equity account called the cumulative translation adjustment (CTA)
Assets
Liabilities/OE
Page 30 of 58
In the real world of imperfect markets, there are situations in which translation exposure to
currency risk can have valuation-relevant consequences above and beyond the firm’s
economic exposures.
3 practical reasons for hedging translation exposure to currency risk:
1. Satisfying loan covenants: loan covenants often require that a firm maintain certain
levels of performance, such as in operating profit or interest coverage. Violation of a
loan covenant can lead to a reduction in borrowing capacity. A hedge of translation
exposure can ensure that the corporation retains access to funds.
2. Meeting profit forecasts. A firm that has announced a profit forecast might wish to
retain its credibility with analysts and investors by hedging against a translation loss.
3. Retaining a credit rating: managers have an incentive to hedge translation exposure
if the firm’s credit rating depends on accounting profits and not just on its underlying
cash flows.
Page 31 of 58
Policy recommendations
• Only hedge economic exposures, unless there is an economic reason for hedging
translation exposure
• Use local sources of capital whenever possible
• Performance evaluation and compensation should be structured to insulate line
managers from FX risk
• If hedging translation exposure is deemed necessary, treasury should quote market
prices
o Net transaction or operating exposures can be hedged in external financial
markets
o Noncash exposures may be hedged internally, but typically should not be
hedged externally
One of the most important risks facing the multinational enterprise is country risk – the risk
that the business environment in a host country will change unexpectedly. The 2 most
important sources of country risk are:
• Political risk: the risk that a sovereign host government will unexpectedly change the
rules of the game under which businesses operate.
• Financial risk: refers to unexpected events in a country’s financial or economic
situation.
• Macro risks: affect all firms in a host country
• Micro risks: specific to an industry, firm or project in a country
• Business environment factors
o Local content/labour regulations
o Protection of IP rights
Page 32 of 58
o Protectionism
• Political environment factors
o Civil war
o Corruption
o Terrorism
o Racial/ethnic tensions
• Other factors:
o Loan defaults or loan restructurings
o Payment delays
o Cancellations of contracts by a host government
• Agents or distributors: a relatively low risk mode of export entry is to use a sales
agent or distributor to handle marketing and distribution in the foreign market.
Page 33 of 58
Hiring an agent requires little commitment in time or capital on the part of the
exporter.
• Foreign sales branches or subsidiaries: as they become more familiar with foreign
markets, exporters often take a more active role in marketing and distribution
through a foreign branch or foreign subsidiary. Foreign subsidiaries are incorporated
in the host country, whereas foreign branches are treaded as part of the parent
rather than as a separate legal entity in the host country.
Licensing has several advantages for the MNC. It provides rapid and relatively painless entry
into foreign markets without a large resource commitment. Licensed products and services
are produced in host country, so import quotas or tariffs are not a hindrance and political
risk is low. However, returns can be limited.
Investment based foreign market entry: manufacturing firms typically use exports for their
initial entry into international markets. Unless the MNC already has experience exporting to
a particular market, investment based entry typically comes later in the product life cycle,
usually when the product is in the mature stage in its domestic market. Investment into
foreign markets can be accomplished in several ways:
Page 34 of 58
Financial environment:
• Rules governing remittance of cash flows from affiliates to the parent corporation
o Transfer prices
o Management fees
o Royalties
o Loan repayments
o Dividends
• Access to capital markets in the host country
• The possibility of subsidised financing from the host government
• The corporate governance environment
o Host country restrictions on ownership of the local subsidiary
o Remedies in the case of non-performance or default by either party
o Provisions and venues for the international arbitration of disputes
MNCs that have geographically diversified operations and cash flows in a large number of
countries and currencies are, in essence, self-insuring. Less diversified companies have
greater need of political risk insurance.
Page 35 of 58
• Expropriation due to
o War
o Revolution
o Insurrection
o Civil disturbance
o Terrorism
• Repatriation restrictions
• Currency inconvertabilitiy
Political insurers:
• International agencies
o The world bank – Multilateral investment guarantee agency
• Government export credit agencies
• Private insurers (AIG etc)
*Recovery plans are commonplace in the IT industry, where failure of a server or database
can have disastrous consequences for business operations.
• Patent: government approved right to make, use, or sell an invention for a period of
time
• Copyright: prohibits the unauthorised reproduction of a creative work
• Trademark: is a distinctive name, word, symbol or device used to distinguish a
company’s goods or services
Page 36 of 58
In principle, capital budgeting for cross border investments is no different from capital
budgeting for domestic investments. From the viewpoint of the parent firm, project value is
still equal to the present value of expected future cash flows from the investment
discounted at an appropriate risk-adjusted cost of capital. Projects should be undertaken
only if the present value of the expected future cash flows from investment exceeds the
cost of the initial investment.
However, cross border projects usually involve one or more foreign currencies, involve
capital flow restrictions that block funds in a host country, project specific subsidies
provided by a host government, or project specific penalties imposed by a host government.
Cross border investments may have difference values to local investors than to domestic
investors if the international parity conditions do not hold.
Page 37 of 58
> = ^[[
]/(1 + )
]
`>
Calculate net present value 0 based on expected future cash
flows and the appropriate risk-adjusted discount rate
There are 2 ways:
1. Discount in the foreign currency at X and convert the foreign currency NPV to a
domestic currency value > | X at the spot exchange rate L> /X
2. Convert foreign cash flows into the domestic currency at expected future spot rates
and then discount at the domestic rate to find |
Page 38 of 58
hL
X i
X 1+ 1 + [F ]
=h i =h i =
1+ X 1 + [F X ]
L> X L> X
Page 39 of 58
Discounting in crocs:
Discounting in pounds:
Page 40 of 58
These 2 NPVs may not be equal when the international parity conditions do not hold
• > | X > 0 the project has value from the perspective of a foreign investor (that
is, relative to alternatives in local financial markets
• > | > 0 the project has value from the perspective of the parent
Different perspectives:
Page 41 of 58
o Hedge the cash flows from the project against currency risk
o Finance the project with local currency debt or equity
• If foreign cash flows are certain, then you can create a perfect hedge
• If foreign cash flows are uncertain, then forward hedges are imperfect hedges
]*mn&
o)
p !) n nXXn&
= \*mn&
o)
pq
!) n nXXn&
+ !) n nXXn&
= (-Cr137)+(-Cr7410)
Market rate: Wendy can borrow Cr40000 for four years at the corporate bond rate of 40%
Subsidised rate: Hook will loan Wendy Cr40000 for four years at Hook’s borrowing rate of
37.5%
This yields Cr1000 in annual interest savings, or an after tax interest savings of
(.1000)(0.5) = .500
Valuing Wendy’s annual after tax interest savings at the 20% after tax cost of debt, this
subsidy is worth Cr1295 today.
Page 43 of 58
Expropriation risk
Suppose there is an 80% chance Hook will expropriate the asset at time t=4
Capital structure refers to the proportions and forms of long term capital used to finance
the assets of the firm. Management must choose the amount of debt, its currency of
denomination, maturity, seniority, fixed or floating rates, convertibility or callability options,
and indenture provisions. Capital structure is an important determinant of the firm’s overall
cost of capital; that is, investors required return on long term debt and equity capital.
MM’s irrelevance proposition: with equal access to perfect financial markets, individuals can
replicate any financial action that the firm can take. This leads to MM’s famous irrelevance
proposition: if financial markets are perfect, then corporate financial policy is irrelevant.
Page 44 of 58
• Frictionless markets
• Equal access to market prices
• Rational investors
• Equal access to costless information
• Homogeneous business risk classes
• Homogeneous investor expectations
• Perpetual cash flows
E[CF{ ]
uvw = ^ h i
{ (1 + i}~ ){
%
.rr = B%E (1 − r )
+ B%E %
*Mount Gibson will issue $133 in debt and $67 in equity. The tax rate in the US is 50%.
Page 45 of 58
Where
PV(financing side effects) = value of tax shields from the use of debt, net of the expected
costs of financial distress
*Another mine in the US has an unlevered present value $190. The present value of
financial side effects is $60. The initial investment cost is $200
Page 46 of 58
o Capital costs are increased if these risks are positively related to the market
portfolio
o Capital costs are decreased if these risks are negatively related to the market
portfolio
• Operating risks that are unsystematic or diversifiable should not be priced by
investors and should not be reflected in capital costs
Page 47 of 58
Internal sources of funds: cash flows from operations, including tax shields. They are
preferred because they are free cash flows; that is, cash flow in excess of that needed to
finance the firm’s positive NPV activities.
Vehicles for repatriating internal funds from a foreign affiliate to the parent include:
Problem: if the parent wants to withdraw funds from the foreign subsidiary, it can set high
transfer prices on intracompany sales to the subsidiary or low prices on the purchases from
the subsidiary. To avoid abuse of the tax code, most countries specify that transfer prices
be set at arm’s length or market prices. Many countries place a limit of 5% of sales on
royalties to the parent.
Firms without internal sources of funds must tap external sources to fund their operations.
MNCs have access to international as well as domestic sources of debt and equity capital.
Page 48 of 58
MNC’s home country Cash flow from parent or affiliates New debt or equity financing
in the parent’s home country (perhaps issued or guaranteed
by the parent firm)
Foreign project’s host Cash flow from existing operations Local debt or equity from host
country in the host country country markets or institutions
International financing Cash flow from other foreign Project finance Eurobonds
sources affiliates euroequity
Securities in the US and Japan are issued in registered form, while the convention in the
western European countries is to issue securities in bearer form.
Domestic markets tend to reach negatively to equity issues, including IPOs & SEOs, in both
the short and long run.
• The usual explanation is that equity issues signal managers’ belief that equity is
overvalued
• Global equity offerings do no appear to suffer the same degree of post issuance
underperformance as domestic issues
Page 49 of 58
Project finance
Allows a project sponsor to raise external funds for a specific project, distinguishing
characteristics:
• The project is a separate legal entity and relies heavily on debt financing
• The debt is contractually linked to the cash flow generated by the project
• Governments participate through infrastructure support, operating or financial
guarantees, rights of way, or assurances against political risk
Multinational tax planning can be a major source of value for the MNC because of national
differences in tax rates and systems.
Tax neutrality: There are 2 forms of tax neutrality for multinational corporations
• Domestic tax neutrality: is a situation in which incomes arising from the foreign and
domestic operations of a domestically based multinational corporation are taxed
similarly by the domestic government. I.e. GM’s US and European operations are
taxed at the same rate.
• Foreign tax neutrality: is a situation in which taxes imposed on the foreign
operations of domestic companies are similar to those facing local competitors in
the foreign countries. i.e. BMW’s US operations are taxed in the same rate as GM’s
US operations.
Tax neutrality preserves equality by ensuring that an undue tax burden is not differentially
imposed on foreign or domestic operations.
Page 50 of 58
• Different tax jurisdictions: income received from different tax jurisdictions is often
taxed at different rates.
• Different asset classes: income received from different types of assets in the same
tax jurisdiction, such as active business income vs passive investment income, is
often taxed at different rates or at different times.
• Different financing instruments: returns on financial securities are taxed differently
depending on whether the security is debt, equity, a debt equity hybrid or an equity
linked security.
• Different organisational forms: income received from different legal organisational
forms often is taxed at different rates or in different ways. (i.e. corporation vs
partnerships)
Forms of taxation
The major issues in international taxation revolve around the fact that foreign source
income falls in 2 or more tax jurisdictions. Countries apply 1 of 2 tax regimes to income
earned by firms incorporated within their borders.
1. Worldwide tax system: foreign source income is taxed by the home country as it is
repatriated to the parent. Income from foreign subsidiaries usually is not taxed until
it is repatriated, as long as it is reinvested in an active business outside of the home
country.
2. Territorial tax system: imposes a tax only on income that is earned within the
borders of the country, regardless of the location of the taxpayer’s incorporation or
operations.
Many countries follow a worldwide tax system for residents and territorial system fr non
residents.
Explicit taxes:
Implicit taxes: equivalent assets sell for the same after tax expected return
This is the law of one price in its after tax form as a consequence, countries with low tax
rates tend to have low before tax expected required returns.
Effect of implicit taxes on required returns: *Suppose = 50% and X = 20%. Pre-tax
required return on an asset in the domestic currency is = 20%. If the law of one price
Page 51 of 58
holds in its after tax version, what is the pretax required return X on the asset in the foreign
currency?
A 20% pre-tax return at a 50% tax rate is equivalent to a 12.5% after tax return at a 20% tax
rate.
Foreign corporations
They are legal entities in the host country
Foreign branches: are legally a part of the parent, so branch income is taxed by the
domestic tax authority as it is earned:
• A possible advantage of a foreign branch: can be used for start up operations that
are expected to generate initial losses
• Possible disadvantage:
o can be tax disadvantaged if the branch is in a low tax country
o can expose the MNC to legal liabilities
The allocation of income rules: impose additional FTC limitations. In particular, interest
expense is allocated according to the proportion of foreign and domestic assets on the
corporation’s consolidated tax return
Page 52 of 58
MNCs have an incentive to shift taxable income toward low tax countries:
Low High
Page 53 of 58
Corporate governance refers to the ways in which major stakeholder exert control over the
corporation and assures themselves a return on their investment. Each nation’s laws,
regulatory framework, and legal institutions and conventions determine stakeholder rights
in corporate governance. These national systems influence many aspects of economic life:
• The way in which capital is allocated within and between national economies
• The opportunities available to borrowers and investors
• Ownership and control of corporations
Measures of gains
Synergy: cross border mergers and acquisitions derive their value from more efficient
utilisation of the competitive advantages of the acquiring or acquired firm. This additional
value is canned synergy:
Page 54 of 58
Where and _ are the values of the acquiring firm (A) and the target firm (T) prior to the
announcement of the merger or acquisition, and _ is the post acquisition value of the
combined firm.
Acquisition premium: is the difference between the purchase price and the pre-acquisition
market value
Whether or not the acquiring firm wins or loses depends on whether the synergies created
by the merger or acquisition outweigh the acquisition premium paid to the target firm.
Japanese Keiretsu
Types:
Characteristics
Korean Chaebol
• Chaebols are similar to Japanese Keiretsu
o Centred on a family rather than a bank
• Largest Chaebol are:
o Samsung, LG, Hyundai, SK, Daiwoo
• Daiwoo: split up in 1999 after Daewoo motors went bankrupt
o GM bought 42% of Daewoo in 2001
Page 55 of 58
o Financial leverage
o Firm size
o Market share
o Economies of scale
• Types
o Friendly and hostile
o Disciplinary and non disciplinary
o Tender offer or a negotiated deal
Targets are typically from countries with poorer investor protection than their acquirers
• Target firms
o Target firms shareholders receive large gains during the announcement
period
• Acquiring firms
o Within the US market, shareholders of the acquirers may or may not win
o The shareholders of acquirers in non US markets are more likely to win
o The shareholders of acquirers in cross border M&A are more likely to win
Method of payment: a majority of acquisition offers are in cash, with the remainder in stock
or a combination of cash, stock, and other securities. *bidding firms making cash offers
typically do not see their shares fall in value as oppose to other methods.
Free cash flow: losses to acquiring firm shareholders are related to free cash flow, that is,
cash flow available to the firm after all positive NPV investments have been exhausted in
the firm’s main line of business.
Page 56 of 58
Returns to acquiring firms are negatively correlated with the profitability of the acquiring
firm in mergers and acquisition that cross the US border. The higher the acquiring firm’s
profitability, the lower the return to the shareholders of the acquiring firm.
The tax environment: tax laws influence a number of aspects of domestic and cross border
merger and acquisition activity. M&A can facilitate the transfer and realisation of tax
benefits
Real exchange rates: common sense says that domestic acquisition of foreign assets should
increase when the real value of the domestic currency is high, resulting in a competitive
advantage for domestic firms in international corporate control contests. finance theory
asserts corporate financial policy is irrelevant in a perfect capital market.
• Voucher program
• Management buyout (MBO)
• Divestiture
Effective legal and corporate governance systems are prerequisites for a successful
transition to a market economy
Page 57 of 58
• China:
o Top executive turnover is related to performance, but only for firms in the
private sector
o Firms with politically connected CEOs under perform those without
politically connected CEOs
• Italy:
o Minority investors have few legal protections
o The relation between top executive turnover and firm performance is weak
when
Control is in the hands of one shareholder
The controlling shareholder is the top executive
Caveat
• Increasing competitiveness in the international market for corporate control is likely
to change some of these conclusions
• Further research will surely modify or extend these conclusions
Page 58 of 58