Does carbon trading affect the bond spread of high-carbon enterprises?- Evidence from China

Carbon trading is widely used as a carbon finance instrument to promote green transformation. This paper focuses on carbon trading's impact on the bond spread for high-carbon enterprises. Using variation in carbon trading access due to pilot policies in China, we find that bonds issued by high-carbon enterprises participating in the carbon trading pilots have lower spreads. Furthermore, the results suggest that carbon trading reduces bond spreads by encouraging high-carbon enterprises to improve their environmental performance. Another channel is the information asymmetry between bondholders and enterprises. More active carbon markets provide investors with more information about enterprises' motivations for reducing carbon emissions , leading to a greater reduction in bond spreads. In addition, the impact of carbon trading is more significant in local SOEs , high-innovation enterprises, and longer-term bonds. Our research helps us understand the importance of carbon trading in achieving a low-carbon economy.