The main objective of this thesis is to examine the extent of and the potential for Arab economic integration. It adds to the growing literature on the issue of economic integration by throwing the spotlight on several issues hitherto little considered in the existing literature. The thesis...

This study examines the stock price reactions to the announcements of corporate real estate disposals by listed non-property companies in Malaysia and whether disposals under different economic conditions lead to different price reactions. The results show that the cumulative abnormal returns...

Research in this thesis deals with some unexplored, or only partially explored, issues relating to the information content of volatility of the idiosyncratic component of asset returns at the firm and industry-level, both in the context of developed and emerging stock markets. Specific issues we...

We begin with the outlining the motivation of this research as there are still so many unanswered research questions on our complex financial and economic systems. The philosophical background and the advances of econometrics and econophysics are discussed to provide an overview of the...

A large body of the literature argues that the soundness of financial system is largely determined by the economic and institutional environment in which the financial system works. Drawing on this theoretical underpinning, research in this thesis models financial soundness indicators (FSIs)...

It is observed through out the world that the financial crisis took Asian countries by storm. Living conditions in my homeland, Thailand, dropped dramatically. Income decreased, the prices of essential goods increased, the stock market collapsed, loans turned to bad debts, businesses closed down...

The relationship between stock market development and economic growth has been an important issue of debate. A well functioning stock market can affect economic growth through the channelling of more saving to investment and the improvement of capital productivity with efficient allocation of...

This thesis examines the determinants of corporate performance and likelihood of default of Jordanian publicly listed companies. Despite the large body of work that has investigated the determinants of corporate performance and default, no comprehensive study has emerged in an emerging market....

The microcredit program in Bangladesh is a unique innovation of credit delivery designed to enhance the income generating activities of the poor. Its uniqueness is reflected in its collateral-free group-based lending strategy. The program extends small loans to poor people, mainly women, for...

An important assumption underlying traditional theories of financial time-series behaviour is that consecutive changes in the price of an asset (ie. asset returns) are independent of each other. For analysts seeking to predict the future value of an asset, this implies that the best step-ahead...