Domestic financial conditions and MNCs’ global competitiveness: evidence from the Swiss franc shock

Abstract

Our study examines the influence of the local financial conditions in a multinational corporation’s (MNC) home country on its global strategy and market position. Establishing a headquarters in a country grants legitimacy with local stakeholders, which enhances firms’ access to local capital markets. Consequently, MNCs headquartered in a country with favorable financial conditions might gain an advantage over MNCs based in countries with a less advantageous financial environment. To analyze this hypothesis, we utilize local projections and a major policy shift by the Swiss National Bank in January 2015, which involved an exchange rate shock and a substantial interest rate cut to −0.75%. Our analysis shows that Swiss-based MNCs, benefiting from lower domestic interest rates, significantly outperformed their EU-based rivals in terms of investment rates (8.4–9.7% points higher) and employment growth (6.7–9.8% points higher). Moreover, we show that this stimulating effect helped to offset the adverse consequences of the simultaneous appreciation of the domestic currency for Swiss-based MNCs in sectors more reliant on exports. Our results highlight the critical role of local financial conditions and, more broadly, local macroeconomic factors in shaping MNCs’ global strategies and competitive standing.