Three Corporate Finance Practices in Pakistan: A Review of Previous Studies and Way Forward

This study reviews the empirical studies arranged on Pakistani capital market and specifies the pattern of three corporate finance practices. The subject of corporate finance discusses the various activities performed at firm level such as capital budgeting, capital structure, and dividend payout policy. The capital budgeting technique consists of six methods i.e., net present value, discounted cash flow, payback period, and internal rate of return etc. but Pakistani firms often interested in net present value and internal rate of return for capital investment evaluation. Similarly, the capital structure decision carries the debate on two options of financing i.e., debt financing and equity financing but literature shows that the Pakistani firms generally follow the pecking order theory and prefer more debt financing. Similarly, as for concern dividend payout policy, literature discusses the different theories and determinants but still unable to generalize the dividend payout trend specifically in Pakistani context. Corporate managers and policymakers can use the conclusion for strategic purposes.

How does Financial Development and Petroleum Price cause Trade Openness in Pakistan?

In the past financial development and petroleum prices have been identified as acrucial factor influencing economic growth. This provoked us to explore the way financial development and petroleum prices influence the trade openness in Pakistan. The sample of yearly data is collected from 1980 to 2016 in order to apply ARDL cointegration method. Our results reflect the presence of long term cointegration between trade openness and its factors. This suggest that with the rise in credit in private sector there is eventual impact on imports and exports whereas the international petroleum prices also impact the same by pushing the prices of goods. Hence it is recommended that hedging the oil prices and the expansion of credit in Pakistan is worthwhile in terms of trade openness.

The Sentimental Influence of Investors on Investment Decision Making

The study explores the impact of investor’s sentiments on individual investment decision making in the stock exchange of Pakistan. It illustrate a broad range of factors that are usually unseen during the decision making process although the fact that they have a huge influence on their course of action. There are number of factors that are the cause of investor’s overall attitude and sentiments. These factors like religion, overconfidence, affect heuristics, demographic variables etc. Some of these factors impact negatively on an investment decision of an investor but at the same time others could help the investor to make logical and rational decisions. It is an exertion to enhance investors understanding about the factors that could stay away his/her vital investment decisions towards irrational decisions. Primary data is use to conduct the present study. Questionnaire is used to gather data from respondents. Sample size consists of 200 stock investors and brokers from Islamabad Stock Exchange. Convenience sampling technique is used, E-Views is used as statistical tool to test hypothesis. Regression analysis shows that overconfidence, religion has significant relationship with investment decision. While affect heuristics have insignificant relationship with investment decision. Demographic is taken as moderator variable.

Influence of Financial Leverage on Financial Sustainabilit: A Case of A Microfinance Institution in Kenya

Microfinance institution plays a crucial role in economic development and financial inclusion. Financial sustainability is the key dimension to microfinance institutions growth. Which further indicate the importance of which Financial sustainability is. Therefore, the present study investigated the effect of financial leverage on MFI financial sustainability. The specific objective was to establish the effect of financial leverage on the financial sustainability of MFIs. The study was guided by agency theory and life-cycle theory. The study adopted an explanatory research design where a panel approach was used as well as the positivist paradigm. The study adopted the census approach method. Panel data was drawn from 30 MFIs for a period between 2010 and 2018 from the mix market database using the data collection schedule. The study used both descriptive and inferential statistics to analyze data with the help of STATA software. Fixed effect model based on Hausman test (X2 = 45.41, p= 0.000 ≤ 0.05). Based on the findings of the study financial leverage ( the study had a positive and significant effect on the financial sustainability of MFIs. The study recommended MFIs managers to engage in the prudent use of financial leverage so that they enhance their overall profitability and boost investor confidence in their strategic decision-making resulting in financial sustainability. The results have an implication to business managers and policymakers given the vital role in service delivery and the challenges hindering the sector from the realization of financial sustainability in the economy.

Comparative Analysis of Naira/US Dollar Exchange Rate Volatility using GARCH Variant Modeling

This paper employed variant GARCH models to examined official, interbank and Bureau de change returns volatilities. Using monthly exchange rate of Naira/USD from January 2004 to September 2020 (2004:1-2020:9), the returns were not normally distributed and stationary at level. Ljung-Box Q statistic and Ljung-Box Q2 statistics of power transformed using power 0.25, 0.5 and 0.75 for conditional heteroscedasticity for lags of 6, 12 and 20 indicated present of conditional heteroscedascity in all returns. The study found exchange rate volatility in Official, interbank and Bureau de change exchange rate returns were persistent. However, Bureau de change return was more persistent while official exchange rate return was the least persistent. Also, leverage effect exist in all the three exchange rate returns and asymmetric model were the best model for estimating exchange rate return while IGARCH was the worst model to estimate exchange rate return in Nigeria. There is need to incorporate news impact when developing exchange rate policy by monetary authority in Nigeria.

The Relation between Dividend and Financial Constraints to Firm Value

This study examines the relation between dividends and financial constraints to firm value using publicly traded firms in Indonesia from 2013 to 2017. The very exploration used a repeated cross section regression method to understand monotonic and non-monotonic alliance between dividends and financial constraints to firm value. The non-monotonic correlation measured by dummy variables for 6 dividends categories, i.e. 0 category is defined as firms that did not pay dividends and category 5 is defined as firms that pay dividends with the highest quintile. It is found that monotonic bond lowers the financial constraints that has more important and consistent positive effects on firm value relative to dividends. These findings imply investors to have higher preferences for a firm’s ability to realize good investment projects and provide higher future profits, relative to current profit in the form of dividends. It also found that non-monotonic connection between dividends and firm value and dividends and financial constraints have relatively equal positive effect to firm value.

Investor Behavior: Does Tax Avoidance and Liquidity Preference Culture Drive Equity Prices in Pakistan

The present study investigates market-wide herding of stock market, industry indices of Pakistan, China and USA, A-cross border herding of Pakistan stock market with Chinese stock market and USA stock market. With Cross-Sectional-Absolute-Deviation, to check whether geographical distance matters to influence the stock markets or not and USA is its major influential, cannot be ignored. Market-wide herding in Pakistan is found only during 2004 and 2008 and A-cross border herding for Pakistan is only found from the USA which support asset pricing model and market efficiency. Pakistan market do not herd around China, this negates geographical distance matters, and influence in determining investor behaviour in stock markets. It is revealed, Pakistan stock market does not observe as much herding behaviour in stock investment as other markets (USA and China), so it can be said that Pakistan stock exchange index which is representative of Pakistan Stock market is efficiently operating in contest of Herding.

Momentum Effect in Developed and Emerging Stock Markets

The study aims to reaffirms the existence of short-term momentum effect in 13 developed and emerging stock markets where previous literature has lack of consensus. Although many studies emphasis on the existence of momentum effect, but still, there are substantial number of researchers that deny the its presence. The contradictory finding of many researchers over the existence of momentum effect, raises a serious question, to what extend our stock markets are informationally efficient and whether investor can make abnormal profits by using momentum investment strategies. This study applies momentum investment strategy, J6K6, to calculate momentum returns. Our study finds negative significant momentum effect in all 13 stock markets. Although momentum effect is present in 13 countries but Investors are not able to attain abnormal profit through momentum investing. These findings have an utmost importance for practitioners that they should not adopt momentum investment strategies in these countries as these strategies are generating lose. Moreover, stock market regulators should formulate these markets on the notion of efficient market hypothesis.

Challenges of Tax Auditors and Investigators in Abia State, Nigeria

The objective of this study is to examine the challenges of tax auditors and investigators in Abia State, Nigeria. The population of the study consisted of 400 people and a sample size of forty respondents based on a judgmental sampling technique comprising of chartered accountants, tax consultants, and tax officials in public and private sectors in Umuahia, Abia State with the aid of a scaled questionnaire. The data obtained were qualitatively analyzed. The study concludes that the following were challenges facing tax auditors and investigators: poor record-keeping by taxpayers, lack of cooperation by taxpayers and agents, lack of technical manpower, bribery and corruption, obsolete tax laws, low funding of the tax authority, lack of database, etc. The study recommends modernization and automation of tax system, recruitment of qualified professionals well versed in tax and accounting among others. JEL Classification: H20, H26, H29

Article Herding Behaviour: Empirical Analysis of Pakistan, China, USA Stock Market

The present study investigates market-wide herding of the stock market industry indices of Pakistan, China, and the USA, and cross-border herding of Pakistan stock market with the Chinese stock market and USA stock market. With Cross-Sectional-Absolute-Deviation, this study checks whether geographical distance matters in influencing the stock markets or not and if the USA is it's major influential and cannot be ignored. Market-wide herding in Pakistan is found only during 2004 and 2008, and across border herding for Pakistan is only found from the USA, which supports the asset pricing model and market efficiency hypotheses. Pakistan market does not herd around China- this negates that geographical distance matters and influences in determining investor behavior in stock markets. It is also revealed that the Pakistan stock market does not observe as much herding behavior in stock investment as other markets (such as the USA and China), so it can be said that the Pakistan Stock market is efficiently operating in the context of herding. JEL Classification: G02, G11, G14, G1