adjustment speed

Financing decisions such as capital structure have gained much attention in literature of financial development over the last decade. Capital structure deviations from its optimal level can occur for various reasons. According to the dynamic trade-off theory, continuous adjustment of capital structure to maximize company value is essential. If companies adjust their capital structure quickly towards the target leverage, past financing activities and historical market conditions will only have short-term effects on the current capital structure. Conversely, if companies adjust their capital structure slowly, the opposite is true. We examine the relationship between organizational and performance characteristics and capital structure, as well as the speed of adjustment, in financial and non-financial firms listed on the Tehran Stock Exchange and compare these effects between the two categories of companies. The statistical population consists of companies listed on the Tehran Stock Exchange from 2017 to 2022. The results show that the speed of capital structure adjustment is lower in the financial sector compared to the non-financial sector. Additionally, three performance variables—profitability, growth opportunities, and liquidity—are statistically significant and impact capital structure and its adjustment speed in both financial and non-financial sectors. However, the growth opportunities variable has a different effect direction in the financial sector compared to the non-financial sector, while the age variable does not have a significant effect. Regarding organizational characteristics—complexity, institutional ownership, and size—only organizational complexity in the financial sector is significant at a 95% confidence level, while all organizational characteristics are significant in the non-financial sector

The motivations driving cash holdings have a profound influence on corporate decision-making and performance. Exploring the dynamics between risk-taking behaviour, cash reserves, and their adjustment pace provides valuable insights into effective financial resource management. This study examines the impact of corporate risk-taking on the adjustment speed of cash holdings, with a focus on the moderating effect of CEO tenure. A sample of 151 firms listed on the Tehran Stock Exchange from 2011 to 2023 (1,963 firm-year observations) was analysed using multiple regression and the Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) estimator. Results indicate that the adjustment speed of cash holdings is 49.5%. A significant negative relationship exists between corporate risk-taking and the speed of cash holdings adjustment, suggesting that elevated risk-taking decelerates the alignment of cash reserves with optimal levels. Moreover, the findings highlight the moderating role of CEO tenure in the relationship between corporate risk-taking and the speed of cash holdings adjustment; in other words, in firms with longer-tenured CEOs, the negative association between corporate risk-taking and cash holdings adjustment speed is weaker than in firms with shorter-tenured CEOs. These findings suggest that risk-taking hinders swift cash adjustment, necessitating a precise determination of optimal cash levels to prevent liquidity shortages in high-risk scenarios. Additionally, the experience of long-tenured CEOs appears to facilitate better liquidity management, aligning corporate interests with strategic financial goals.