• East Asian mathematical journal
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• v.39 no.5
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• pp.537-547
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• 2023

In this paper, we introduce the optimal approximation by a Gaussian function for a probability density function. We show that the approximation can be obtained by solving a non-linear system of parameters of Gaussian function. Then, to understand the non-normality of the empirical distributions observed in financial markets, we consider the nearly Gaussian function that consists of an optimally approximated Gaussian function and a small periodically oscillating density function. We show that, depending on the parameters of the oscillation, the nearly Gaussian functions can have fairly thick heavy tails.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.25-38
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• 2017

This study investigates the causal relationship between stock prices and exchange rates for six Middle Eastern countries, namely, Egypt, Iran, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, and Saudi Arabia before and during (after) the 2007 global financial crisis for the period between January 2004 and September 2015. The sample is divided into two sub-periods, that is, the period from January 1, 2004 to September 30, 2007 and the period from October 1, 2007 to September 30, 2015, to represent the pre-crisis period and the post-crisis period, respectively. Using Vector Autoregressive (VAR) model in a multivariate framework (including two control variables, inflation rates and oil prices) the results suggest that in the case of Jordan, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, there exists bidirectional causalities after the crisis period but not the before. The opposite status is available for the case of Iran. In the case of Oman, there is bidirectional causality between the variables of interest in both periods. The results also reveal that the relationship between stock prices and exchange rates has become stronger after the 2007 global financial crisis. Overall, the results of this study indicate that fluctuations in foreign exchange markets can significantly affect stock markets in the Middle East.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• v.5 no.4
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• pp.45-56
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• 2018

The paper aims to examine relationships between search-based sentiment and stock market reactions in Vietnam. This study constructs an internet search-based measure of sentiment and examines its relationship with Vietnamese stock market returns. The sentiment index is derived from Google Trends' Search Volume Index of financial and economic terms that Vietnamese searched from January 2011 to June 2018. Consistent with prediction from sentiment theories, the study documents significant short-term reversals across three major stock indices. The difference from previous literature is that Vietnam stock market absorbs the contemporaneous decline slower while the subsequent rebound happens within a day. The results of the study suggest that the sentiment-induced effect is mainly driven by pessimism. On the other hand, optimistic investors seem to delay in taking their investment action until the market corrects. The study proposes a unified explanation for our findings based on the overreaction hypothesis of the bearish group and the strategic delay of the optimistic group. The findings of the study contribute to the behavioral finance strand that studies the role of sentiment in emerging financial markets, where noise traders and limits to arbitrage are more obvious. They also encourage the continuous application of search data to explore other investor behaviors in securities markets.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• v.9 no.9
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• pp.105-114
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• 2022

Financial markets have long been known to be prone to behavioral biases. One such behavioural bias that is consequential yet pervasive in financial markets is the herd effect. The objective of this study is to determine whether or not there exist herd behaviour in the new and bourgeoning Decentralized Finance (DeFi) Tokens market. This is accomplished by using daily returns of 22 DeFi tokens from January 29, 2017 to August 19, 2021, and the Cross-sectional Absolute Deviation (CSAD) of market returns to capture herd behavior. The results fail to provide any evidence of herding in the DeFi token market on bullish days, that is days for which the average market returns is positive. For bearish days however, that is days for which the market returns is negative, our empirical findings point to the presence of adverse herding in the DeFi token market. This phenomenon can be explained to some extent by the investor composition of the DeFi market. The DeFi token space is a growth market dominated by experts and/or enthusiasts who are insulated against the temptation and panic of negative market swings by the level of market and technical information they possess on the assets they invest.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.655-664
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• 2021

The purpose of this research paper is to overcome the impact the COVID-19 in Indonesia, the Government of the Republic of Indonesia has set Perpu No.1 of 2020 concerning State Financial Policies and Financial System Stability for Handling COVID-19 Pandemic. This paper uses a descriptive analysis method with a normative juridical approach, namely by explaining the politics of law in the stipulation of Perpu No. 1 of 2020 into Law, then analyzing its effect on the character of legal products contained in the Act. The data sources used in this paper are the 1945 Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia, Perpu Number 1 of 2020 which has been ratified into Law Number 2 of 2020, Legislation in the field of state finance, literature books, and several articles from print and electronic media. This paper concludes that the legal politics of establishing Perpu No.1 of 2020 into Act was born from a democratic political system and configuration, but the character of its legal products was conservative. The aim of the paper is to focus on the discussions related to the new regulations that have been made by the Indonesian government and analyse the impact resulting from the enactment of these regulations.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• v.8 no.12
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• pp.39-50
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• 2021

We investigate competition and its impact on borrowers' indebtedness (BI) in South Asian microfinance. Our empirical investigations are based on a comprehensive panel dataset of 355 MFIs located in seven countries in South Asia. The empirical results revealed that microfinance in South Asia is imperfectly competitive and the existing industry shows a monopolistic competition during the period under consideration. Also, the competition increased after the global financial crisis (GFC) in 2007-08 which implies that microfinance uses hostile lending behavior through the adverse selection that is highly risky and it can induce repayment crisis. The empirical findings also show that increased competition has significant negative effects on borrowers' indebtedness, particularly in large-scale and regulated microfinance organizations (MFIs). Instead of using equity financing, debt financing could be a better option. Finally, we find that while competition seems to have some positive effects in economic discourse by channeling technological improvements in products and services, its negative effects in microfinance outweigh the benefits over costs, particularly in poverty-stricken nations. The findings are helpful for the policymakers, microfinance industry, investors, borrowers, and Central Bank of South Asian markets.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.699-711
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• 2011

This study is to perform several major analyses to find any differences in the leverage between the pre- and post-period of the currency crisis. Moreover, another aspect is to investigate a financial aspect which has received relatively little attention to the firms and/or industries in the emerging capital markets in comparison to those in the advanced markets. The purpose of this empirical study is to confirm whether or not, it is myth or reality that Korean business conglomerate, chaebol, firms with subsidized financing from government-owned domestic financial institutions in the pre-financial turmoil, may still maintain their higher leverage, even after the crisis. It was found that firms belonging to the chaebol in Korea maintained higher average book-value and market-value based debt ratios, relative to their counterparts not belonging to the chaebol across all of the tested models. There were positive relationships of IND3(=the chemical industry) and Ind5(=the construction industry) to the book-value leverage. This study identified that there were no differences in the explanatory variables included, between the tested models (that is, without and with including the present value of an operating lease) related to each debt ratio. Since the Korean government continue to improve the corporate governance of the domestic firms in terms of accounting transparency and corporate ownership, it would be more efficient, if utilizing this "new" ratio considering an operating lease as an effective measurement of the level of leverage. In terms of the capital structure, it may also be possible for foreign firms to utilize and benefit from the results obtained in this study when operating their new businesses in Korea, given the economic circumstances such as the ongoing progress of the Korea-America FTA or the Korea-China FTA.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.11-21
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• 2021

In the last few years, there is growing interest in the field of simultaneous equation estimation in finance due to the endogeneity problem caused by measurement errors, simultaneity, or omitted variables. This study aims to discuss the endogeneity problem in corporate financing decisions and investigate the interrelationship of financial decision-making such as investment decision, dividend decision, and external financing decision in Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) using two-stage least squares (2SLS) and generalized method of moment (GMM) estimation. The Bruech-Pagan test shows that the data has no heteroskedasticity issue and 2SLS is a better approach in the context of this study as compared to the GMM approach, and internal instruments are also sufficiently strong and valid. The three financial decision-making attributes are not jointly determined, and the dividend is influenced by one-sided investment. In the emerging stock market context, external financing and investment are not inter-related and did not affect each other. The question of whether the simultaneous equation estimation can be useful in the context of the emerging stock markets and newly-growing firms remains unanswered. The inclusive evidence shows that the theoretical link in the emerging stock market is difficult to prove like in developed stock markets.

• East Asian Economic Review
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.129-159
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• 2013

Over the course of the recent global financial crisis, emerging economies experienced massive swings in capital inflows. In this paper, we estimate a VAR model to assess the impact of capital inflow shocks, which are identified using a set of sign restrictions, on house prices in Korea. We base the analysis on three alternative measures of capital inflows: net total inflows, net portfolio inflows and gross total inflows. The results suggest that capital inflow shocks have a significantly positive and persistent effect on real house prices. Although shocks to capital inflows are found to be substantially more important for Korean asset markets than for other OECD countries, their overall explanatory power is modest. Using regional house price data we also show that capital inflow shocks have an asymmetric effect on property markets across the seven largest Korean cities and across different parts of Seoul.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• v.7 no.8
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• pp.1-13
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• 2020

This study examines the effect of managerial ownership on firm value in capital markets where outside governance mechanisms to discipline managers are weak or non-existent. We hypothesize that strong market forces in the U.S. confound the effect of managerial ownership on firm value, i.e., the convergence of interest argument. We test the hypothesis using data from 112 firms from Singapore Stock Exchange and 205 firms from the Stock Exchange of Thailand prior to the Asian financial crisis in 1997 when the market forces were weak, yet the investor protection was sufficient to prevent outright appropriation from management. For ease of comparison, we use methodologies from studies done on the U.S. sample firms during the same study period as ours. We find that, both in Singapore and Thailand, firm value is a function of managerial ownership, and the relation is of the famous inverted U-shaped. Moreover, the relation is robust under different model specifications. The results from Thai sample, with weaker market forces than in Singapore, lend support to many agency cost hypotheses advanced in the U.S. Our results provide useful implication for investors in emerging and frontier markets where outside governance mechanisms are yet to be fully developed.