Why Leverage Affects Pricing

Abstract

We explain and provide evidence for effects of leverage on pricing. Our model identifies two effects that either counteract or reinforce each other, depending on the debt maturity structure: (i) firms set higher prices (underinvest in market share) if they have more debt, and (ii) firms engage in dynamic risk-shifting by setting lower (higher) prices if the current debt obligation will be higher (lower) in the next period than in the present period. Using a unique dataset of owner-managed hotels in Austrian ski resorts, we provide empirical evidence of both effects.