Trade credit and firm profitability: Empirical evidence from India

We investigate the association between trade credit and firm profitability among large, Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) listed Indian corporations, identify an optimal trade credit level, and analyse how financial constraints influence the relation between trade credit and firm profitability. We use a sample of six broad non-financial sectors, constituting over 60 industrial sub-sectors, presented in panel form, and apply regression analysis to examine the relationship between trade credit and firm profitability. The findings suggest an inverted U-shaped relationship between trade credit and firm profitability and support an optimal receivables and payables level. Trade credit is profitable for firms until the associated benefits exceed the costs. Breaching the optimal level affects firm profitability. The extent of the financial constraints influences the optimal level of trade credit. Knowing the relation between trade credit and firm profitability may induce managers to form proactive trade credit management policies and help investors assess firm profitability and operational risk. However, given that our study involves only large, BSE-listed firms, generalizing the findings to other companies and settings requires caution.