Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether factor sensitivities of margins of bank-issued warrants depend on issuers’ credit risk during the period of economic turmoil between January 2008 and June 2010. Design/methodology/approach – Therefore, first, Fama–MacBeth estimations were applied and it was demonstrate that the sensitivities of margins in terms of time to maturity and moneyness vary substantially over time; the average outcomes are similar to the results of classical pooled estimations. Findings – Then, time-series tests were used and it was found that the steepness of the issuers’ credit default swap (CDS) spread curves correlates negatively with the time-to-maturity sensitivities as well as with the explanatory power of Fama–MacBeth estimations. Research limitations/implications – These findings indicate that the life-cycle hypothesis is weakened when the issuers’ CDS spread curves become steeper. Originality/value – Thus, this study offers a new approach to gain insights into the role of issuers’ credit risk on price setting behavior.

We use a new approach to analyze the relationship between warrant prices and issuers’ credit spreads. This approach allows us to gain insights into whether issuers use their credit risk systematically to increase their profits. In a post‐Lehman sample, we find strong support for a systematic use since issuers decrease prices less after cred it spread increases than they increase prices after credit spread decreases. Credit spread decreases are accompanied by price increases on several successive days. This sluggish adjustment in prices can be explained by the fact that retail investors’ purchase decisions depend on product prices.