Os ciclos econômicos e os indicadores econômico-financeiros das empresas distribuidoras de energia elétrica no Brasil

Abstract

The distribution of electric energy is an essential service for society and for the economic development. ANEEL, responsible for regulating this sector, has made efforts to monitor companies’ economic results, aiming to prevent companies from experiencing irreversible financial difficulties, as was the case of Grupo Rede, which left thousands of consumers without the service. Recently ANEEL issued the NT 67/2016 that regulates that financial indicators will be now monitored. At the same time, we know that macroeconomic conditions have a relevant influence on companies' financial results, particularly in regulated sectors, where price cannot be adjusted automatically according to the movements of supply and demand. Thus, the present study sought to estimate the effects of economic cycles on the economic-financial indicators of Brazilian electricity distributors. The analysis focused on the period from 2010 to 2016, a period when regulatory changes, political influences and a strong economic recession were present. The study population has 63 Brazilian electricity distribution companies. Through estimations of models with panel data with fixed effects, it was possible to measure the effects of various macroeconomic variables (interest rate, exchange rate, inflation, etc.) on a set of selected financial indicators. Results indicate that the indicators general indebtedness, asset turnover, net margin and ROA were influenced by economic cycle variables, corroborating recent studies on the topic.