Financial Factors Influencing Corporate Cash Reserves of Firms in Chungcheong Province in the Korean Capital Markets

Abstract

This study examines financial factors affecting cash holdings of firms in the domestic capital markets.Specifically, this study focuses on regional firms with headquarters in Chungcheong province, the Republic of Korea, which features little previous research concentrating on the firms in the particular region. Three primary hypotheses were empirically tested utilizing robust econometric models, including static panel data, Tobit regression, and logistic models.Results reveal only five explanatory variables, including DSO, LIQUID, LEVERAGE, PMARGIN, and SIZE, showed statistically significant effects on the level of cash holdings among the nine variables studied. In addition two IDVs, LEVERAGE and FOS, showed significant differentiated effects between firms with headquarters in North and South Chungcheong regions. With continued debate among interested parties on the optimal level of cash reserves, the study provides a new vision for the optimal cash reserves for firms with headquarters in Chungcheong Province, where unprecedented socio-economic factors are driven.