Corporate debt, repayment and maturity structure, and monetary policy transmission

Abstract This article develops a stylized New Keynesian Dynamic Stochastic General Equilibrium model and explores the function of the repayment and maturity structure of corporate debt in the monetary policy transmission mechanism. The results demonstrate that following an unanticipated policy tightening, long-term floating-rate debt exacerbates the credit channel, causing a greater decline in investment and output due to the increased debt burden relative to long-term fixed rate debt. In response to the downward trajectory of the output, the central bank pursues a lower interest rate path, thereby inflation remains at a relatively elevated level. Thus, the monetary authority is less effective in stabilizing inflation in economies with long-term floating rates compared to those with fixed rates. Prolonging the maturity of floating-rate debt aggravates these effects and renders firms even more susceptible to adverse shocks.