Principal Component Analysis on the Theory of Corporate Cash Holdings for Korean Chaebol Firms

Abstract

This study conducted empirical tests on contemporary finance theories for corporate cash holdings, such as trade-off, pecking order, and agency theory. There is ongoing debate on the possibility of excess cash savings by domestic firms, including chaebols in the Korean capital markets. Thus, it may be worthy to identify any financial characteristics based on each aforementioned theory as an extension of previous studies on similar subjects. Two primary hypotheses were postulated and tested, and the following empirical results were obtained. First, principal component analysis (PCA) provides evidence that nine out of the twenty explanatory variables showed a significant influence on the level of corporate cash holdings, such as cash conversion cycle in trade-off theory and leverage in pecking order theory. Second, the chaebol firms that decreased cash holdings after global financial turmoil may be affected by financial factors that include investment opportunities and foreign ownership according to the PCA. The results may reinforce the outcomes derived from previous research on corporate cash holdings. Based on the robust results, large firms in advanced or emerging capital markets could approach the optimal level of the cash reserves.