This article investigates the post-issuance performance of firms in the German SME Bond (Mittelstandsanleihen) market segment. In particular, we ask if issuers' operating performance is significantly different relative to an ex-ante indistinguishable non-issuer control sample. To properly identify the comparison sample and avoid endogeneity concerns, we implement a propensity score matching process based on a set of financial variables. Our main results show that issuers actually display lower post-issuance operating performance which amplifies their financial fragility. Our results contribute to the discussion if the poor performance of this market segment could have been identified ex-ante.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations鈥揷itations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.