Market Timing and Managerial Talent

Abstract Market timing is a well-documented phenomenon in financial markets. This paper tests whether managers with heterogeneous talents and qualities affect capital issuance timing differently. I find that skilled managers raise more capital (especially equity) when the market is overpriced, compared to unskilled managers. However, capable managers are less willing to issue equity when firms have high growth potential and are reluctant to share their future success with newcomers. Additionally, I found no significant effect of managerial ability on the relationship between market misvaluation and subsequent corporate investment. Overall, consistent with the market timing hypothesis, the results suggest that talented managers are more likely to time the market, but they do not increase corporate investment in response to additional funding.