Corporate Cash Holdings and Share Buyback: Evidence from Emerging Markets

Abstract

This study evaluates corporate cash holdings (CCHs) as a determinant of share buyback for three emerging economies, India, Malaysia, and South Korea, from 2002 to 2020. We find CCH as a significant determinant of share buyback for our sample nations. Our results suggest that share buyback is a flexible way for firms to distribute excess cash across our sample nations. Our study also documents the impact of different country-level investor protection frameworks on buybacks. A favorable relationship between a strong investor protection environment (good governance) and buyback explains the effective role of buyback in resolving agency conflicts compared to dividends. JEL Codes: C5, F3, G3