Stock Market and Economic Growth in Ghana, Kenya and Nigeria

Abstract

In the paper, we examine the causal relationship and the direction of causality between stock market development and economic growth in Ghana, Kenya and Nigeria. In examining the causal relationship and the direction of causality, we used the Granger Causality test procedure as developed in Granger. The study regressed five indicators of stock market namely stock market capitalization (MC), stock turnover ratio (STO), stock traded value (TVL), number of listed securities (LS), and stock market index (MI) against the real gross domestic product (GDP) which is used as a proxy for economic growth.
Using the 1989 – 2009 data sets, the empirical findings of the study show that there is no causal relationship between stock market development and economic growth in Ghana and Nigeria, but revealed a bidirectional causal relationship between stock market development and economic growth in Kenya. When MC was used as a proxy for stock market development, MC and LS were found to Granger cause economic growth. Bidirectional causality was found between STO and GDP. TVL was found to have a strong negative effect on GDP. Based on the results of the study, we recommend that policy makers and regulatory bodies should formulate and implement policies that will attract investors and avail the real sector of the economy the much needed fund for production and encourage listing of companies that contribute largely to GDP in the nation stock exchange.