The role of inventory in firm resilience to the Covid‐19 pandemic

Abstract

We study the role of inventory in corporate resilience to Covid‐19 in 2020, which triggered exogenous shocks to consumer demand, commodity prices and supply chains. Unexpected drops in consumer demand and commodity prices increase the costs of inventory. Conversely, inventory holdings can buffer against supply disruptions. Empirically, US firms with higher inventory experienced more negative stock market responses early in the crisis due to falling consumer demand. However, since May 2020, inventory has become valuable as a hedge against supply disruptions, improving firm performance. During Covid‐19, unlike other crises, inventory played a unique role as a hedge against supply disruptions.