Purpose The current paper aims to fill the gap in the literature by analyzing the nature of volatility of the Karachi Stock Exchange (KSE) -100 index and also develops an understanding as to which model proves to be the most suitable...
morePurpose
The current paper aims to fill the gap in the literature by analyzing the nature of volatility of the Karachi Stock Exchange (KSE) -100 index and also develops an understanding as to which model proves to be the most suitable model for measuring volatility among the models used. The study contributes significantly to the literature as compared to the limited previous work done in Pakistan as it covers a longer time period from the introduction of the KSE-100 index on November 2, 1991 to December 31, 2013 for three types of data i.e., daily, weekly and monthly. In addition, to analyze the impact of global financial crises upon volatility, the data is divided into pre-crisis (1991-2007) and post-crisis (2008-2013) periods.
Design/Methodology/Approach
This study employs an advanced set of volatility models such as Autoregressive Conditional Heteroscedasticity [ARCH (1)]; Generalized Autoregressive Conditional Heteroscedasticity [GARCH (1, 1)]; GARCH in Mean [GARCH-M (1, 1)]; Exponential GARCH [E-GARCH (1, 1)]; Threshold GARCH [T-GARCH (1, 1)]; Power GARCH [P-GARCH (1, 1)] and also a simple Exponentially Weighted Moving Average (EWMA) model.
Findings
The results reveal that daily, weekly and monthly return series show non-normal distribution, stationarity, and volatility clustering. However, the heteroscedasticity is absent only in the monthly returns making only EWMA model to be used in monthly series to measure the volatility level. P-GARCH (1, 1) model proves to be a better model for modeling the volatility in case of daily returns; while regarding the weekly data GARCH (1, 1) model proves to be the most appropriate based on SIC and LL criterion. The study shows a high persistence of volatility, a mean reverting process, and absence of risk premium in the KSE market with an insignificant leverage effect only in case of weekly returns; however a significant leverage effect is reported regarding the daily series of the KSE-100 index. In addition, to analyze the impact of global financial crises upon volatility, the findings show that sub-periods demonstrated a slightly low volatility and global economic crisis did not cause a rise in volatility level.
Originality/Value
The literature about the volatility modeling in the Pakistan market depicts a limited literature focus on few models for relatively small sample size. The current thesis attempts to overcome these limitations and employs diverse models for three types of data series (daily, weekly and monthly). In addition, Pakistani economy shows turmoil throughout its history, which ranges from mild shocks to extreme shocks. This paper measures the impact of those shocks upon the volatility level of the KSE.
Applications
The research provides some insights for policy makers as well as investors who are concerned about the fluctuations of the KSE-100 index in Pakistan. For example, the significant ARCH effect may imply that the institutional investors who do not trade very frequently also hold dominance with respect to the movement of the price of stocks. As when they trade, it is in the large bulk and this heavy trade holds a significant impact on the price movements of the stock (Husain and Uppal, 1999). The skewness with the negative value in all return series imply that there are more chances of earning negative returns than the positive returns which refers towards the conservative attitude of investors towards investment in the KSE market (Mittal and Goyal, 2012; Kaluo and Friday, 2012).. The findings also reveal a high persistence of volatility and it contributes to the existence of the impact of shock, observed in present, for a longer time on future returns. The high volatility presence makes it possible to earn high profit but it also leads towards an inefficient market (Mittal and Goyal, 2012). A presence of an insignificant risk premium implies that investors are unable to earn returns above the average by taking the higher risk. The leverage parameter finds significance in case of daily returns which implies that negative shocks account for the greater volatility in the KSE market; however, the weekly data do not reveal significant asymmetrical or leverage effect.
Key Words: ARCH, GARCH, EWMA, Global Financial Crisis, Pakistan, Volatility