Financial integration of GCC banking markets: A non-parametric bootstrap DEA estimation approach

In this paper, we investigate banking sector integration in the Gulf Cooperation Council during the period 1998-2009. The integration inference was derived by testing the convergence of cost efficiency scores. These efficiencies were measured using a smoothed bootstrap procedure that ensures consistency and unbiasedness. The convergence was examined using two tests: a beta convergence test and a sigma convergence test. The two tests show significant convergence, particularly during the transitional period 2003-2009, that witnessed substantial reforms. Therefore, we conclude that integration and harmonization measures taken by the Gulf Cooperation Council Governments have had a significant impact on efficiency and homogeneity of these countries’ banking markets.     

Disentangling Sentiment from Cyclicality in Firm Capital Structure

This study examines the relationship between capital structure choices and investor and managerial sentiment, finding that periods of positive sentiment are associated with reduced leverage within firms. We focus on the cyclicality of leverage using non-orthogonalized sentiment indices and find a strong negative relationship. Leverage, therefore, appears countercyclical, implying that the decision to take on debt is a consequence of either Admati et al.'s (2018) ratchet effect or a managerial attempt to time the market. Our findings lead us to question some fundamental capital structure theories, namely, trade-off (Kraus and Litzenberger, 1973), and Hackbarth's (2008) managerial traits theory. Instead, we favour the idea that leverage is a consequence of countercyclical market timing behaviour.     

The impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the dynamic correlations between gold and U.S. equities: evidence from multifractal cross-correlation analysis

This study exploits multifractal cross-correlation analysis (MFCCA) to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the cross-correlations between gold and U.S. equity markets using 1-min high-frequency data from January 1, 2019, to December 29, 2020. The MFCCA method shows that the pandemic caused an increase of multifractality in cross-correlations between the two markets. Specifically, the cross-correlations of small fluctuations became more persistent while those of large fluctuations became less persistent, explaining the source of multifractality. The findings of this study carry significant implications for investors, academicians, and policymakers. For example, the increase of multifractality of cross-correlation means that the non-linear relationship between gold and U.S. equity returns prevails more during economic downturns. Therefore, academicians may resort to non-linear techniques to evaluate the relationship between gold and U.S. equity markets during the health pandemic. Moreover, investors can know the value of hedging benefits over different investment time horizons during the pandemic. Finally, policymakers can better assess the economic downturns (i.e., those caused by health pandemics) over the dynamics of cross-correlation between gold and equity markets to make sound financial policies.