Cash holding, economic uncertainty and investment: Evidence from ASEAN countries

This research observes the effect of uncertainty on corporate cash holding. Uncertainty drives up asymmetric information problems, increasing companies' external capital costs. As a result, companies prefer to accumulate cash to protect their investment capabilities in the future. The study uses a sample of non-financial public companies in six ASEAN countries, such as Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, and Vietnam, from 2008 to 2021. The study uses a total of 34,359 firm-year observations. The research method employs a fixed-effect panel data model with Driscoll-Kraay standard errors. The findings of this study indicate that economic uncertainty can cause companies to accumulate their cash holdings. Furthermore, cash holding can reduce the impact of economic uncertainty on decreasing corporate investment decisions. This research contributes to the literature by showing the relationship between economic uncertainty, cash holdings, and corporate investment in the context of ASEAN countries.