For each of the nine Asian markets, we compute the growth of each asset component above for each
stock, and then calculate their averages for AG sorted decile portfolios. In Panel A of Table 4, we report
the D10–D1 spread (sorted by AG) of the growth of each asset component. The respective spreads for
the all-Asia portfolios and for the U.S. market are also reported.
As shown in the table, in the U.S. market, capital expenditure is the most important factor driving
asset growth, and the D10–D1 total asset growth spread attributable to capital expenditure is 40.8%.10 In
Asia, the contribution of capital expenditure to asset growth is slightly lower — the D10–D1 total asset
growth spread due to capital expenditure is 38.7%. Moreover, the spreads in capital expenditure and net
fixed asset growth are lower in Asian markets. The CapEx (ΔPPE) spread between D10 and D1 portfolios
is 0.279 (0.165) relative to 0.589 (0.524) for the U.S. market. Though the spreads for other investmentside
asset growth components are lower in Asia, the differences are not statistically significant. The
finding suggests that homogeneity in capital expenditure reduces the asset growth effect in Asia.