Are ESG stocks safe-haven during COVID-19?

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ghulame Rubbaniy ◽  
Ali Awais Khalid ◽  
Muhammad Faisal Rizwan ◽  
Shoaib Ali
Keyword(s):  
Portfolio Choice ◽  
Stock Markets ◽  
Robustness Analysis ◽  
Wavelet Coherence ◽  
Safe Haven ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Hedging Strategies ◽  
Stock Indices ◽  
Wavelet Coherency

Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate safe-haven properties of environmental, social and governance (ESG) stocks in global and emerging ESG stock markets during the times of COVID-19 so that portfolio managers and equity market investors could decide to use ESG stocks in their portfolio hedging strategies during times of health and market crisis similar to COVID-19 pandemic. Design/methodology/approach The study uses a wavelet coherence framework on four major ESG stock indices from global and emerging stock markets, and two proxies of COVID-19 fear over the period from 5 February 2020 to 18 March 2021. Findings The results of the study show a positive co-movement of the global COVID-19 fear index (GFI) with ESG stock indices on the frequency band of 32 to 64 days, which confirms hedging and safe-haven properties of ESG stocks using the health fear proxy of COVID-19. However, the relationship between all indices and GFI is mixed and inconclusive on a frequency of 0–8 days. Further, the findings do not support the safe-haven characteristics of ESG indices using the market fear proxy (IDEMV index) of COVID-19. The robustness analysis using the CBOE VIX as a proxy of market fear supports that ESG indices do not possess safe-haven properties. The results of the study conclude that the safe-haven properties of ESG indices during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is contingent upon the proxy of COVID-19 fear. Practical implications The findings have important implications for the equity investors and assetty managers to improve their portfolio performance by including ESG stocks in their portfolio choice during the COVID-19 pandemic and similar health crisis. However, their investment decisions could be affected by the choice of COVID-19 proxy. Originality/value The authors believe in the originality of the paper due to following reasons. First, to the best of the knowledge, this is the first study investigating the safe-haven properties of ESG stocks. Second, the authors use both health fear (GFI) and market fear (IDEMV index) proxies of COVID-19 to compare whether safe-haven properties are characterized by health fear or market fear due to COVID-19. Finally, the authors use the wavelet coherency framework, which not only takes both time and frequency dimensions of the data into account but also remains unaffected by data stationarity and size issues.

The dynamic network connectedness and hedging strategies across stock markets and commodities: COVID-19 pandemic effect

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Taicir Mezghani ◽  
Fatma Ben Hamadou ◽  
Mouna Boujelbène Abbes
Keyword(s):  
Portfolio Management ◽  
Stock Markets ◽  
Dynamic Network ◽  
Portfolio Allocation ◽  
Oil Price ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Hedging Strategies ◽  
Network Connectedness ◽  
The Impact

PurposeThe aim of this study was to investigate the dynamic network connectedness between stock markets and commodity futures and its implications on hedging strategies. Specifically, the authors studied the impact of the 2014 oil price drop and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on risk spillovers and portfolio allocation among stock markets (United States (SP500), China (SSEC), Japan (Nikkei 225), France (CAC40) and Germany (DAX)) and commodities (oil and gold).Design/methodology/approachIn this study, the authors used the Baba, Engle, Kraft and Kroner–generalized autoregressive conditional heteroskedasticity (BEKK–GARCH) model to estimate shock transmission among the five financial markets and the two commodities. The authors rely on Diebold and Yılmaz (2014, 2015) methodology to construct network-associated measures.FindingsRelying on the BEKK–GARCH, the authors found that the recent health crisis of COVID-19 intensified the volatility spillovers among stock markets and commodities. Using the dynamic network connectedness, the authors showed that at the 2014 oil price drop and the COVID-19 pandemic shock, the Nikkei225 moderated the transmission of volatility to the majority of markets. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the commodity markets are a net receiver of volatility shocks from stock markets. In addition, the SP500 stock market dominates the network connectedness dynamic during the COVID-19 pandemic, while DAX index is the weakest risk transmitter. Regarding the portfolio allocation and hedging strategies, the study showed that the oil market is the most vulnerable and risky as it was heavily affected by the two crises. The results show that gold is a hedging tool during turmoil periods.Originality/valueThis study contributes to knowledge in this area by improving our understanding of the influence of fluctuations in oil prices on the dynamics of the volatility connection between stock markets and commodities during the COVID-19 pandemic shock. The study’s findings provide more implications regarding portfolio management and hedging strategies that could help investors optimize their portfolios.

scholarly journals WTI OIL SHOCKS IN EASTERN EUROPEAN STOCK MARKETS: A VAR APPROACH

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rui Dias ◽  
◽  
Hortense Santos ◽  
Paula Heliodoro ◽  
Cristina Vasco ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Stock Markets ◽  
Oil Prices ◽  
Oil Price ◽  
Portfolio Diversification ◽  
Oil Shocks ◽  
Eastern European ◽  
Safe Haven ◽  
Wald Tests ◽  
Stock Indices ◽  
European Stock Markets

The 2020 Russia-Saudi Oil Price War was an economic war triggered in March 2020 by Saudi Arabia in response to Russia’s refusal to reduce oil production to keep oil prices at a moderate level. In view of these events, this study aims to analyze oil shocks (WTI) in the eastern European stock markets, namely the stock indices of Hungary (BUX), Croatia (CROBE), Russia (MOEX), Czech Republic (PRAGUE), Slovakia (SAX 16), Slovenia (SBI TOP), Bulgaria (SOFIX), from September 2019 to January 2021. The results show mostly structural breakdowns in March 2020, while the VAR Granger Causality/Block Exogeneity Wald Tests model shows two-way shocks between oil (WTI) and the stock markets analyzed. These findings show that the hypothesis of portfolio diversification may be called into question. As a final discussion, we consider that investors should avoid investments in stock markets, at least as long as this pandemic last, and rebalance their portfolios into assets considered “safe haven” for the purpose of mitigating risk and improving the efficiency of their portfolios.

Religion vs ethics: hedge and safe haven properties of Sukuk and green bonds for stock markets pre- and during COVID-19

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Abubakr Naeem ◽  
Mustafa Raza Rabbani ◽  
Sitara Karim ◽  
Syed Mabruk Billah
Keyword(s):  
Stock Markets ◽  
Economic Stress ◽  
Low Risk ◽  
Sufficient Evidence ◽  
Safe Haven ◽  
Socially Responsible ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Hedge Ratios ◽  
Regulatory Bodies ◽  
Investment Portfolios

Purpose This study aims to examine the hedge and safe-haven properties of the Sukuk and green bond for the stock markets pre- and during the COVID-19 pandemic period. Design/methodology/approach To test the hedge and safe-haven characteristics of Sukuk and green bonds for stock markets, the study first uses the methodology proposed by Ratner and Chiu (2013). Next, the authors estimate the hedge ratios and hedge effectiveness of using Sukuk and green bonds in a portfolio with stock markets. Findings Strong safe-haven features of ethical (green) bonds reveal that adding green bonds into the investment portfolios brings considerable diversification avenues for the investors who tend to take fewer risks in periods of economic stress and turbulence. The hedge ratio and hedge effectiveness estimates reveal that green bonds provide sufficient evidence of the hedge effectiveness for various international stocks. Practical implications The study has significant implications for faith-based investors, ethical investors, policymakers and regulatory bodies. Religious investors can invest in Sukuk to relish low-risk and interest-free investments, whereas green investors can satisfy their socially responsible motives by investing in these investment streams. Policymakers can direct the businesses to include these diversifiers for portfolio and risk management. Originality/value The study provides novel insights in the testing hedge and safe-haven attributes of green bonds and Sukuk while using unique methodologies to identify multiple low-risk investors for investors following the uncertain COVID-19 pandemic.

Relationship between different sources of geopolitical risks and stock markets in the GCC region: a dynamic correlation analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdullah Alqahtani ◽  
Shawkat Hammoudeh ◽  
Refk Selmi
Keyword(s):  
Stock Returns ◽  
Stock Markets ◽  
Risk Index ◽  
Saudi Arabian ◽  
Gulf Region ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Dynamic Correlation ◽  
Hedging Strategies ◽  
Gcc Countries ◽  
Geopolitical Risks

PurposeThe findings would help in designing useful and relevant hedging strategies against geopolitical risks (GPRs), which are rampant in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region.Design/methodology/approachThis study focuses on the regional and global costs of GPRs for businesses in the Gulf region.FindingsThe results of the analysis show that the time-varying conditional correlation between the stock returns of the GCC countries and the Saudi Arabian geopolitical risk is consistently negative, suggesting that the Saudi Arabian geopolitical risk hurts the GCC stock markets, thus underscoring the importance of studying regional GPRs.Originality/valueThe contribution of this paper is twofold: First, it uses a newly geopolitical risk index that includes recent geopolitical events not included in the Caldara and Iacoviello (2018) index. In addition to war threats and acts, terrorist threats and acts and nuclear threats, the authors consider global trade tensions (GTTs), Saudi Arabia's geopolitical risk and OPEC news mainly related to OPEC oil production levels. Second, it assesses whether Saudi Arabia, which is the largest economy in the region and the main global oil exporter, is really a risk exporter to the rest of the GCC countries.

Is Bitcoin a safe haven? Application of FinTech to safeguard Australian stock markets

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Kamran ◽  
Pakeezah Butt ◽  
Assim Abdel-Razzaq ◽  
Hadrian Geri Djajadikerta
Keyword(s):  
Empirical Evidence ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Conditional Heteroskedasticity ◽  
Sample Period ◽  
Safe Haven ◽  
Conditional Correlation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Dynamic Conditional Correlation ◽  
Stock Indices ◽  
One Year

Purpose This study aims to address the timely question of whether Bitcoin exhibited a safe haven property against the major Australian stock indices during the first and second waves of the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia and whether such property is similar or different in one year time from the first wave of the COVID-19. Design/methodology/approach The authors used the bivariate Dynamic Conditional Correlation, Generalized Autoregressive Conditional Heteroskedasticity model, on the five-day returns of Bitcoin and Australian stock indices for the sample period between 23 April, 2011 and 19 April, 2021. Findings The results show that Bitcoin offered weak safe haven and hedging benefits when combined in a portfolio with S&P/ASX 200 Financials index, S&P/ASX 200 Banks index or S&P/ASX 300 Banks index. In regard to the S&P/ASX All Ordinaries Gold index, the authors found Bitcoin a risky candidate with inconsistent safe haven and hedging benefits. Against S&P/ASX 50 index, S&P/ASX 200 index and S&P/ASX 300 index, Bitcoin was nothing more than a diversifier. The outset of the second COVID-19 wave, which was comparatively more severe than the first, is also reflected in the results with considerably higher correlations. Originality/value There is a lack of in-depth empirical evidence on the safe haven capabilities of Bitcoins for various Australian stock indices during the first and second waves of the COVID-19 pandemic. The study bridges this void in research.

Beyond the negative relation between return and conditional volatility in the wine market

2014 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 279-294 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elie I. Bouri
Keyword(s):  
Risk Reduction ◽  
Robustness Analysis ◽  
Equity Returns ◽  
Conditional Volatility ◽  
Safe Haven ◽  
Asymmetric Reaction ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Wine Market ◽  
Volatility Feedback ◽  
Reduction Effectiveness

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine fine wine’s safe-haven status with respect to US equity movements. Design/methodology/approach – We use a generalized autoregressive conditional heteroscedasticity model and its variant to measure the asymmetric reaction to positive and negative shocks. Findings – Our empirical results show an inverted asymmetric volatility in the wine market; positive shocks increase the conditional volatility more than negative shocks. That is the opposite reaction in the volatility of equity returns occurs in the wine market. As leverage effect and volatility feedback effect do not adequately explain this reaction, we follow the work of Baur (2012) and propose the safe haven effect. Several robustness tests largely confirm the empirical findings, with major implications for wine investors. Finally, we provide further evidence on the benefits of adding wine investments to an equity portfolio through an increase in risk reduction effectiveness. Research limitations/implications – Based on the results of the robustness analysis, the recommendations in terms of including fine wines in portfolios must be issued with caution. Practical implications – Our findings are crucial to the needs of market participants who are interested in including wine assets in their equity portfolio. Originality/value – No previous study investigates the safe haven property of fine wine return, and accounts for risk reduction effectiveness when adding wine assets to a portfolio of US equities.

scholarly journals IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON ISLAMIC AND CONVENTIONAL STOCKS IN INDONESIA: A WAVELET-BASED STUDY

2021 ◽  
Vol 24 ◽  
pp. 15-32
Author(s):  
Mohsin Ali ◽  
Urooj Anwar ◽  
Muhammad Haseeb
Keyword(s):  
Stock Market ◽  
Stock Markets ◽  
Recent Literature ◽  
Stock Index ◽  
Wavelet Coherence ◽  
Continuous Wavelet ◽  
Stock Indices ◽  
The World ◽  
Conventional Counterpart

The recent literature shows that COVID-19 has impacted stock markets around the world in many ways. In this paper, we examine the reaction of the Indonesian stock market to COVID-19. We apply the continuous wavelet coherence methodology to daily COVID-19 related deaths and daily conventional and Islamic stock indices inIndonesia. We find that COVID-19 negatively impacts the returns of both indices and enhances their volatility. We find the Islamic stock index to be more volatile as compared to its conventional counterpart during the COVID-19 outbreak.

The role of precious metals in extreme market conditions: evidence from stock markets

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sinem Guler Kangalli Uyar ◽  
Umut Uyar ◽  
Emrah Balkan
Keyword(s):  
Stock Market ◽  
Stock Markets ◽  
Global Financial Crisis ◽  
Precious Metals ◽  
Market Condition ◽  
Time Varying ◽  
Safe Haven ◽  
Stock Market Returns ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Gold Silver

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to scrutinize three different points: How safe haven properties of precious metals (gold, silver, platinum and palladium) differentiate in two recent major crises such as the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) and the COVID-19 pandemic? How safe haven properties of precious metals change by the severity and the duration of shocks? and whether precious metals have hedge properties or not in normal conditions against different stock markets. Design/methodology/approach To analyze the time-varying behavior of precious metals with respect to stock market returns, the authors used the rolling window approach. After obtaining the time-varying beta series that way, the authors regressed the beta series on different severities of stock market shocks. Findings The findings show that the number of safe haven precious metals increases in the COVID-19 pandemic period compared to the GFC. Furthermore, the number of safe haven precious metals increases as the severity of shocks increases and the duration of them extended. Finally, in the absence of an extreme market condition, only gold has strong hedge asset properties. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first that examines the safe haven and hedge properties of all tradable precious metals against seven major stock markets. Besides this, it presents a comparative analysis for the safe haven properties of precious metals in terms of two major crises.

Brexit referendum and European stock markets: a sector analysis

2020 ◽  
Vol 46 (7) ◽  
pp. 913-933
Author(s):  
Dimitris Kenourgios ◽  
Evangelos Dadinakis ◽  
Ioannis Tsakalos
Keyword(s):  
Stock Returns ◽  
Stock Markets ◽  
Abnormal Returns ◽  
Political Uncertainty ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Stock Indices ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Global Investors ◽  
The Uk ◽  
European Stock Markets

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to assess the reaction of European stock markets after the UK's EU membership referendum (“Brexit”) on June 23, 2016.Design/methodology/approachThe analysis focuses on asector level by using non-aggregate stock indices across EU-28, the UK and several country subsamples. An event study is performed in order to measure cumulative abnormal returns during the post-referendum announcement period.FindingsThe results indicate an unexpected small number of affected sectors across the country samples. A negative effect is observed in the financial sector across both the EU-28 and eurozone samples, whereas basic materials and health care sectors are influenced positively across the European region. Most of the sectors in the UK display a long-lasting positive effect, while the close trade relationships between the UK and selected European countries seem to partly constitute a driving force of sectors' abnormal stock returns after the referendum.Practical implicationsThe results are useful for global investors, traders and portfolio managers in terms of whether short-term gains from investment choices across sectors can be achieved during periods of increased political uncertainty and whether investors distinguished between sectors.Originality/valueThis paper extends the Brexit literature by using, for the first time, European non-aggregate stock indices. It also contributes to the sector-specific contagion studies by identifying which sectors with similar and/or different industrial composition are more prone to political uncertainty caused by the Brexit vote.

Volatility and cross correlations of stock markets in SAARC nations

2014 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 154-169 ◽  
Author(s):  
Monica Singhania ◽  
Shachi Prakash
Keyword(s):  
Stock Market ◽  
Stock Returns ◽  
Stock Prices ◽  
Stock Markets ◽  
Cross Correlation ◽  
Global Market ◽  
Market Returns ◽  
Stock Market Returns ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Stock Indices

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine cross-correlation in stock returns of SAARC countries, conditional and unconditional volatility of stock markets and to test efficient market hypothesis (EMH). Design/methodology/approach – Stock indices of India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Pakistan are considered to serve as proxy for stock markets in SAARC countries. Data consist of daily closing price of stock indices from 2000 to 2011. Since preliminary testing indicated presence of serial autocorrelation and volatility clustering, family of GARCH models is selected. Findings – Results indicate presence of serial autocorrelation in stock market returns, implying dependence of current stock prices on stock prices of previous times and leads to rejection of EMH. Significant relationship between stock market returns and unconditional volatility indicates investors’ expectation of extra risk premium for exposing their portfolios to unexpected variations in stock markets. Cross-correlation revealed level of integration of South Asian economies with global market to be high. Research limitations/implications – Business cycles and other macroeconomic developments affect most companies and lead to unexplained relationships. The paper finds stock markets to exist at different levels of development as economic liberalization started at different points of time in SAARC countries. Practical implications – Correlation between stock indices of SAARC economies are found to be low which is in line with intra-regional trade being one of lowest as compared to other regional groups. Results point towards greater need for economic cooperation and integration between SAARC countries. Greater financial integration leads to development of markets and institutions, effective price discovery, higher savings and greater economic progress. Originality/value – The paper focuses on EMH and risk return relation for SAARC nations.

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