How the COVID-19 shock influenced companies listed on the WSE and how they managed their liquidity

The aim of the article is to analyze the liquidity of non-financial companies listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange. The article addresses the liquidity of the examined group against the background of the entire market and its relationship with debt, profitability, growth and the risk of bankruptcy, including in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The article examines the assertion that COVID-19 influenced the practice of aggressive liquidity management in terms of indebtedness, profitability, value creation, and risk of bankruptcy. The research revealed that public companies behaved differently than the entire sector by pursuing an aggressive management policy and that the pandemic caused an even greater decrease in the static liquidity ratios while cash conversion cycle (CCC) increased. In addition, the decline in EPS growth and the increase in Z-Score during the pandemic could mean that enterprises focused on reducing the risk of bankruptcy rather than maximizing value during the pandemic shock. Before the pandemic, CCC influenced DER, and during the pandemic, static indicators began to play a more important role in the financial strategies of the surveyed companies. The research results add to liquidity theory and its impact on shaping financial strategy, especially during a financial crisis. In addition, an analysis of the impact of liquidity on earnings per share (EPS) growth and Z-Score was conducted. They represent the creation of value and the assessment of the risk of bankruptcy, making this paper particularly insightful. The results obtained provide valuable guidance to decision-makers managing liquidity and debt in corporate finance.