What effect do financial intermediaries have on the economy? We develop a strategy to isolate the effects of financial shocks on the economy using high-frequency data. Our findings show that intermediaries have a sizeable impact on nonfinancial firms—particularly those with high default risk and low liquidity.
How much attention do firms pay to macroeconomic news? Through a novel text-based measure, two facts emerge. First, attention is polarized. Most firms either never or always pay attention to economic conditions. Second, it is countercyclical. During recessions, more firms pay attention, and firms pay greater attention to macroeconomic news.
