Institutional investment horizon, the information environment, and firm credit risk

We provide evidence that the impact of the investment horizon of institutional investors on the credit risk of U.S. industrial firms is both statistically and economically significant. Ceteris paribus, a one percent point increase in the ownership by short-term (long-term) institutions leads to a 0.188 (.046) percentage point decrease (increase) of a firm's credit spread during 2001-2011. However, during the financial crisis period of 2007/08, long-term institutional investors tend to reduce a firm's credit risk, especially when a firm's risk profile is high. Hence, long-term institutions play an important role in enhancing financial stability during the crisis period by mitigating risk.