Submitted by Cristiane Oliveira (cristiane.oliveira@fgv.br) on 2011-06-03T15:35:44Z No. of bitstreams: 1 66080100257.pdf: 200849 bytes, checksum: ae84097637204a6b31a102a876915f87 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Vera Lúcia Mourão(vera.mourao@fgv.br) on 2011-06-03T16:51:59Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 66080100257.pdf: 200849 bytes, checksum: ae84097637204a6b31a102a876915f87 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Vera Lúcia Mourão(vera.mourao@fgv.br) on 2011-06-03T17:02:51Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 66080100257.pdf: 200849 bytes, checksum: ae84097637204a6b31a102a876915f87 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2011-06-03T17:08:02Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 66080100257.pdf: 200849 bytes, checksum: ae84097637204a6b31a102a876915f87 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-01-27 / We develop partial adjustment and duration models to test the relevance of country idiosyncrasies in determining the capital structure of publicly-traded Brazilian, Chilean and Mexican firms. Our data panel, ranging from the 4th quarter of 1996 to the 2nd quarter of 2010, consists of 4403 firm-quarter observations pertaining to 139 firms. Our findings suggest that capital structure dynamics vary by country and that local idiosyncrasies are key determinants of firms’ leverage levels. Additionally, trade off behavior cannot be clearly detected among Brazilian, Chilean and Mexican firms, suggesting that alternative theories steer the financing decision processes of Latin American managers. / Desenvolvemos modelos de ajuste parcial e de duration para testar a relevância de fatores específicos de países na determinação da estrutura de capital de empresas listadas nas bolsas de valores brasileira, chilena e mexicana. Utilizamos dados em painel, em um período que se estende do quarto trimestre de 1996 ao segundo trimestre de 2010, abrangendo 4403 observações relacionadas a 139 empresas diferentes. Os resultados obtidos sugerem que a dinâmica da estrutura de capital varia por país e que idiossincrasias locais são determinantes-chave dos níveis de alavancagem das empresas. Não detectamos comportamento explicado pela Teoria de Trade Off entre as empresas brasileiras, chilenas e mexicanas, o que indica que teorias alternativas possam comandar os processos de decisão de financiamento dos gestores latino americanos.