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The aim of the present research is to highlight whether there exist any diversification opportunities from investing in developed and developing countries' Shariah-compliant and non-Shariah-compliant stock markets during global financial crisis (GFC) and the COVID-19 pandemic periods. For this purpose, we employ daily data for both Shariah and non-Shariah indices from 29 October 2007 to 31 December 2021. The study uses multivariate GARCH-DCC and wavelet approaches to examine if there exist diversification opportunities in the selected markets. Evidence from this study shows that although the developing markets' stock returns experience high volatility of a similar degree, the conventional indices of Malaysia have the highest volatility among them. This shows that Shariah indices have less exposure to risk and higher possibilities of diversification compared to their conventional counterparts. Regarding developed markets, the Japanese conventional index and the U.S. Shariah indices are more volatile compared to other indices in the market. Moreover, the results of the wavelet power spectrum show significant and higher volatility during the COVID-19 pandemic rather than the GFC. Similarly, the Chinese conventional market experienced minimum variance during the GFC and COVID-19 pandemic period. On the other hand, the results of wavelet-coherence transform indicate that the Japanese Shariah-based market offered better portfolio opportunities for U.S. traders during the GFC and the COVID-19 pandemic periods. Hence, opportunities for investment in this selected market are basically close to zero. Therefore, investors should carefully choose which stocks they can include in their investment portfolio. © 2023 by the authors.
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Covid-19 and the unprecedented surge in financial technology contributed to unexpected financial challenges, affecting the relevance of financial decision making and perceived financial well-being. This paper examines the mediating effects of digital financial literacy, financial autonomy, financial capability, and impulsivity on financial decision making and perceived financial well-being. The data come from 512 re-spondents in Delhi/NCR (National Capital Region), India, using a snowball-sampling technique and partial least squares structural equation modeling to test 13 structural hypotheses with SmartPLS3.3. Partial least squares (PLS) prediction is employed to estimate the out-of-sample predictive power of the proposed model. Our findings reveal that skills directly affect financial decision making and perceived financial well-being, and digital financial literacy emerges as a direct and mediating predictor of financial decision making. The dominance of financial capability and financial autonomy as mediators in financial decision making and financial well-being become more evident, and impulsivity fails to have mediating effects on financial decision making. The results have academic, regulatory, and managerial implications, all of which calls for more concerted efforts at recognizing the unique interaction among skills-financial decision making-perceived financial well-being, the cu-mulative effect of which enhances the critical ability to deal with environmental challenges, manage socioeconomic pressures in a sustainable manner, and translate the benefits into prudent gender-specific policy decisions and practices.Copyright (c) 2022 Borsa Istanbul Anonim S , irketi. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
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PurposeThis study investigates the nexus between the returns on oil prices (OP) and unemployment (UR) while taking into account the influences of two of the most representative measures of uncertainty, the Baker et al. (2016) and Caldara and Iacovello (2021) indexes of economic policy uncertainty (EP) and geopolitical risks (GP), in the relationship.Design/methodology/approachThe authors use data on the US, Canada, France, Italy, Germany and Japan from January 2000 to February 2022 and the UK from January 2000 to December 2021. The authors then apply the continuous wavelet transform (CWT), wavelet coherence (WC), partial wavelet coherence (PWC) and multiple wavelet coherence (MWC) to examine the returns within a time and frequency framework.FindingsThe CWT tracks the movement and evolution of individual return series with evidence of high variances and heterogenous tendencies across frequencies that also align with critical events such as the GFC and COVID-19 pandemic. The WC reveals the presence of a bidirectional relationship between OP and UR across economies, showing that the two variables affect each other. The authors' findings establish the predictive influence of oil price on unemployment in line with theory and also show that the variation in UR can impact the economy and alter the dynamics of OP. The authors employ the PWC and MWC to capture the impact of uncertainty indexes in the co-movement of oil price and unemployment in line with the theory of "investment under uncertainty". Taking into account the common effects of EP and GP, PWC finds that uncertainty measures significantly drive the co-movement of oil prices and unemployment. This result is robust when the authors control for the influence of economic activity (proxied by the GDP) in the co-movement. Furthermore, the MWC reveals the combined intensity, strength and significance of both oil prices and the uncertainty measures in predicting unemployment across countries.Originality/valueThis study investigates the relationship between oil prices, uncertainty measures and unemployment under a time and frequency approach.
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In this paper, we offer some initial examination on how Covid-19 pandemic impacted the consumer behaviour towards retail sector in India. We argue that Covid-19 pandemic offers a great opportunity for businesses. We also discuss some potential directions of how consumer sustainable decision making will be shifted to due to the pandemic. In this paper the data is collected from various Indian consumers from different cities who made purchases from organised retail store. In our discussion of consumer behaviour we outline how COVID-19 has impacted retail sector and also the behaviour of the consumers towards sustainable transitions. It has been seen that consumers interest have been shifted towards retailing, online payments, sustainable food habits, and sustainable lifestyle. This study will help the businesses as well the academicians in determining what consumers prefer during this pandemic.
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The study investigates the return spillovers across 20 Islamic and 34 conventional banks among GCC markets (UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait) over the period 2005–2022 based on Dieobold and Yilmaz (2014) and Barunik and Krehlik (2018) methods. The outcomes interestingly reveal that the spillover between markets is time-varying, asymmetric, and crisis-sensitive. Moreover, short-oriented spillovers dictate the long-oriented spillovers, while long-oriented spillovers establish the major chunk of the total return spillovers. The results of the DY and BK approach show a weak connectedness between all Islamic banks rather than conventional banks of GCC. Subsample analysis of COVID-19 and GFC strengthens the total and short-oriented spillovers more than long-term spillovers. The global financial stress is exposed with the most substantial coherence, increasing the connectedness of Islamic banks in the short and long-oriented markets compared to conventional banks. The results of the study have practical implications for bankers, central banks, Islamic banks, policymakers, international economic institutions, banking investors, FIIs, DIIs, and academia. Additionally, the current findings can be guiding forces for many investors across the world to take their portfolio decision by leveraging Islamic banks’ securities. © 2022 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
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This study analyzes the trilateral relationship between macroeconomic variables of oil prices, stock market index, and exchange rate to demonstrate their behavior and inter-relationship in the economic setup of Pakistan. The investigated period includes daily time series data ranging from 4 January 2016 to 30 April 2021. The study consists of three sub-periods: the pre-COVID-19 period ranging from 4 January 2016 to 31 December 2019, COVID-19 period ranging from 1 January 2020 to 30 April 2021, and overall period ranging from 4 January 2016 to 30 April 2021 by using a Vector Autoregressive (VAR) model. The results illustrate that oil prices changes, and stock index have an insignificant direct relationship both in pre-COVID-19 and overall sub-periods of study while a positive and statistically significant relationship during the COVID-19 period. This research also suggests that stock index has a direct and statistically significant but negative impact on the exchange rate in all sub-periods of study. This research also gives practical implications for forex investors and traders to analyze the inflating and deflating stock market patterns for future investment opportunities. However, most of the previous studies emphasized on the direct influence of exchange rate on the stock market and no effort is made on vice versa association. Furthermore, this research presents a practical relevance for the stock market investors that health uncertainty regime affected the insignificant association between oil price and stock market indices and this relation turns out to be significant during the crisis regime.
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The debate regarding the performance of Islamic banks vis-à-vis conventional counterparts has attracted growing attention recently. Exploiting the Covid-19 health and economic crisis as an exogenous shock, we extend this debate by examining the resilience of Islamic banks vis-à-vis conventional banks during this shock. Using data from the Gulf Cooperation Council member states, we find stock market investors have not assessed the Islamic banks to be superior to conventional ones during the Covid-19 market meltdown. Specifically, our findings show Covid-19 confirmed cases, government social distancing policies and feverish period (i.e., 24 February to 17 March 2020) have had negative impact on stock returns of both Islamic and conventional banks alike. Interestingly, the adverse impact of social distancing policies is stronger on Islamic banks due to their inherent higher cost structure. Additionally, we find the marginal adverse impact of Covid-19 shock is weaker on banks with higher liquid assets holdings on the onset of the Covid-19 shock. Moreover, larger banks were hit harder during the first quarter of 2020, however, they also recovered more quickly during the second quarter. Results are robust with alternative estimation methods, matched sample of Islamic and conventional banks, cross-sectional analysis with fever period and extended sample period. © 2022 Elsevier B.V.
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This study aims to identify the impact of COVID-19 on audit quality based on the investigation of three auditing aspects, namely: audit fees, audit procedures, and auditors' salaries in Saudi Arabia and Yemen. For data collection, fifty-five (55) questionnaires were distributed to internal auditors, external auditors, managers of audit offices, and financial managers. Eleven managers of audit offices and auditors were interviewed. A descriptive, regression analysis, and T-test were used. The study results reveal that the audit quality has been significantly affected due to the devastating effect of COVID-19 on audit fees, audit procedures, and audit staff salaries. In addition, the results show that Yemen is severely affected due to several factors, which include a lack of modern auditing systems. Also, private ownership of establishments and the absence of laws for determining audit fees negatively impacted the audit quality. Being the first of a practical kind, this study provides a significant contribution to the existing literature on the impact of COVID-19 on the quality of auditing. This would be useful for corporations, audit offices, auditors, and researchers. Moreover, this study can bridge the identified research gap on this topic and provide empirical evidence about the impact of COVID-19 on audit quality. © 2022 by the authors. Licensee ESJ, Italy.
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Purpose: This study aims to investigate the factors that influence the sustainable online purchase intentions of consumers during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study also examines the role of relational benefit and site commitment in the study model. Design/methodology/approach: Data were obtained from a survey of 356 Bangladeshi consumers who were voluntarily using the internet during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data were analyzed using partial least square structural equation modelling with Smart PLS 3.0 and SPSS V25 tools. Findings: The results show a positive and significant relationship between consumers’ personal innovativeness and impulse purchase orientation with their relational benefit and site commitment, social influence with relational benefit, relational benefit with site commitment, site commitment with the intention to purchase. Moreover, the study found that relational benefit mediates the relationship between impulse purchase orientation and social influence with site commitment. The results also indicate that site commitment mediates the relationship between personal innovativeness and impulse purchase orientation with the intention to purchase. The results further indicate that site commitment mediates the relationship between relational benefit and intention to purchase. Practical implications: The findings allow online stores to consider crucial factors in their policies when making strategic decisions regarding the factors impacting consumers’ online purchasing intention during the COVID-19 pandemic. Originality/value: In this study, a research framework is developed with a focus on the sustainable consumer intention to purchase. This study, therefore, adds to the existing literature by analyzing the factors that determine online purchase intentions during the COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh, given the limited number of studies on the online consumer behavioral intentions in related circumstances to COVID-19. © 2022, Emerald Publishing Limited.
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The current wave of COVID-19 outbreak has created new strategical challenges for policy officials of the industrial sector across the world. The effect of COVID-19 is more in developing economies where industrial sector is already struggling for its stability. This study introduces the impact of COVID-19 on the corporate investment behavior of non-financial publicly listed firms of Pakistan. To achieve the objective, we employ the panel data ranging from 2010 to 2020 and apply the difference-in-differences (DID) model to quantifies the empirical relationship. The outcomes of DID model suggest that the pandemic period and treatment have a significant and negative impact on corporate capital investment behavior. During pandemic spread period, the enterprises have limited their investment into fixed assets due to less productive use of such assets. Similarly, industries that exist in high-impact areas face a negative investment growth rate due to quarantine policy, fewer social movements, and high installing cost of new machinery. However, this negative effect diminishes across those firms that have a quick cash inflow rate and more availability of bank loans. These two factors serve as a financial setback against the adversities of pandemic. By drawing upon the empirical reasoning on the effect of COVID-19, this study also presents possible solutions to alienate unfavorable impacts of this pandemic. Current analysis can be considered as an early attempt towards investigating the consequences of COVID-19 on investment decisions of industrial sector. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee ESJ, Italy.
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As informal workers struggle to survive the current crisis, there is reason to believe that more strain would also be exerted on the already fragile sector in the postcrisis era. The implications of the COVID-19 outbreak for the informal economy will continue. Faced with a long crisis, the global economy would likely shrink demand for informal goods and services. The primary goal of this paper is to study consumer behavior during the pandemic, investigate government-implemented Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for the unorganized retail sector, and determine if consumers prefer to have goods delivered to their homes rather than visit retail stores. This paper collected information from a number of Indian customers who made unorganized retail transactions in New Delhi and NCR Region. The sample was taken from 700 citizens of New Delhi, India. The study found that product variety, digital payment, scheduling, free delivery and lower speed have a significant effect on customer behavior. In addition, SOPs do not influence consumer behavior. The main reasons for choosing a specific channel are simple availability, security, less hassle, and compliance with all laws. The pandemic led to a renewed trust in the local Kirana shop, with new clients visiting metro and non-metro shops locally. The system in Kirana has changed from physical sales to digital aviation because of the pandemic. © 2021 LLC CPC Business Perspectives. All rights reserved.
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This study attempts to examine the response of stock markets amid the COVID-19 pandemic on prominent stock markets of the BRICS nation and compare it with the 2008 financial crisis by employing the GARCH and EGARCH model. First, average and variance of stock returns are tested for differences before and after the pandemic, t-test and F-test were applied. Further, OLS regression was applied to study the impact of COVID-19 on the standard deviation of returns using daily data of total cases, total deaths, and returns of the indices from the date on which the first case was reported till June 2020. Second, GARCH and EGARCH models are employed to compare the impact of COVID-19 and the 2008 financial crisis on the stock market volatility by using the data of respective stock indices for the period 2005-2020. The results suggest that the increasing number of COVID-19 cases and reported death cases hurt stock markets of the five countries except for South Africa in the latter case. The findings of the GARCH and EGARCH model indicate that for India and Russia, the financial crisis of 2008 has caused more stock volatility whereas stock markets of China, Brazil, and South Africa have been more volatile during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study has practical implications for investors, portfolio managers, institutional investors, regulatory institutions, and policymakers as it provides an understanding of stock market behavior in response to a major global crisis and helps them in taking decisions considering the risk of these events.