MACROECONOMIC VARIABLES AND STOCK MARKET RETURNS IN GHANA: ANY CAUSAL LINK?

Journal Title: Asian Economic and Financial Review - Year 2013, Vol 3, Issue 8

Abstract

The purpose of the study is to examine the existence of causality between macroeconomic variables and stock returns in Ghana. The study employs monthly time series data spanning the period January 1995 to December 2010. Unit root test is performed using ADF, PP and KPSS tests. Then, Vector Error Correction (VECM) model is used to establish long-run and short-run relationship between stock performance and macroeconomic variables. In order to determine the existence or otherwise of causality, the Granger Causality tests is performed. Impulse response functions and forecast error variance decomposition are used to assess the stability of the relationship between stock returns and macroeconomic variables over time. The study reveals that a significant long run relationship exists between stock returns and inflation, money supply and Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). In the short-run, a significant relationship exists between stock returns and macroeconomic variables such as interest rate, inflation and money supply. In the short-run the relationship between stock returns and FDI is only imaginary. Our VECM coefficient shows that it takes approximately 20 months for the stock market to fully adjust to equilibrium position in case a macroeconomic shock occurs. Lastly, a causal relationship running from inflation and exchange rate to stock returns has been established. Then also, a causal relationship running from stock returns to money supply, interest rate and FDI has also been revealed. The findings imply that arbitrage profit opportunities exist in the Ghana stock market contrary to the dictates of the Efficient Market Hypothesis (EMH). In terms of original value,among the studies done on the topic in Ghana so far, this is the only study that incorporates dividend in the computation of returns on the Ghana Stock Exchange.

Authors and Affiliations

Haruna Issahaku| Department of Economics and Entrepreneurship Development, Faculty of Integrated Development Studies, University for Development Studies, Tamale, Ghana, Yazidu Ustarz| Department of Economics and Entrepreneurship Development, Faculty of Integrated Development Studies, University for Development Studies, Tamale, Ghana, Paul Bata Domanban| Department of Economics and Entrepreneurship Development, Faculty of Integrated Development Studies, University for Development Studies, Tamale, Ghana

Keywords

Related Articles

Tax Structure and Economic Growth in Côte d’Ivoire: Are Some Taxes Better Than Others?

This paper examines the relationships between taxation and output in Côte d’Ivoire during the period 1960-2006. The bounds testing approach to cointegration devised by Pesaran et al. (2001) showed that tax variables, exc...

RENMINBI AS NUMBER TWO IN EAST ASIA

This paper investigates the emerging influence of the Chinese renminbi on the exchange rate movements of East Asian currencies. China stopped pegging her currency to the US dollar and moved into a managed floating exchan...

Exports and Nigerian’s Economic Growth: a Co-Integration Analysis

This research work employed the use of cointegration analysis in the study of export and economic growth in Nigeria. It was embarked on, in order to determine whether there is bi-directional relationship between exports...

MONEY DEMAND SENSITIVITY TO INTEREST RATES: THE CASE OF JAPAN’S ZERO-INTEREST RATE POLICY

The goal of this paper is to provide new evidence on how the zero-interest rate policy implemented by the Bank of Japan has affected the sensitivity of money demand with respect to the opportunity cost of holding money....

DERIVATIVE USE OF TURKISH INVESTMENT FUNDS DURING THE 2008-09 FINANCIAL CRISIS

This paper centers on the question of how derivatives were utilized by investment fund managers in the course of 2008-09 global financial crisis. In this vein, we analyze investment funds defined as mutual funds and inve...

Download PDF file
  • EP ID EP1944
  • DOI -
  • Views 428
  • Downloads 37

How To Cite

Haruna Issahaku, Yazidu Ustarz, Paul Bata Domanban (2013). MACROECONOMIC VARIABLES AND STOCK MARKET RETURNS IN GHANA: ANY CAUSAL LINK?. Asian Economic and Financial Review, 3(8), 1044-1062. https://europub.co.uk/articles/-A-1944