Master of Science

thesisEnergy markets were not immune to the 2007 financial crisis. Growth in the Indian and Chinese economies is placing strains on global energy supplies that could force a repeat of the 2008 price spike of $145/bbl for crude oil. Emerging market growth coupled with inefficiencies, frictions, and speculation in the energy markets has the potential to create drastic economic shocks throughout the world. The 2007 economic crisis has pushed back investment in energy projects where a low-growth scenario in world GDP could create drastic price increases in world energy prices. Without a long-term energy supply plan, the U.S. is destined to see growth reduced and its trade imbalances continue to deteriorate with increasing energy costs. Analysis of the U.S. natural gas futures markets and the impact of financial speculation on natural gas market pricing determined that financial speculation adds to price movements in the energy markets, which could cause violent swings in energy prices

The impact of world crude oil price on the liberalisation of Malaysia’s paddy industry

Malaysia has adopted an open economy policy to boost its economic growth and per capita income. As a small and open economy, the country is susceptible to external shocks such as the 2008 financial crisis. Moreover, the increase in the international food price and the shortage of food in early 2008 imposed a new challenge to the national paddy sector. Besides, the increase in average world crude oil prices from USD 69.08 per barrel in 2007 to USD 101.56 per barrel in 2009 saw accompanied escalation in world food commodity prices, resulting in increases in input costs and hence the cost for food production. This paper examines the impact of the world crude oil price on the liberalisation of Malaysia’s paddy industry using system dynamics analysis. The two types of inputs impacted by crude oil price are fuel and fertiliser price. The results showed that 120 litre per hectare of diesel and petrol is the rate of fuel used in paddy production. The fertiliser consumption is 388.53 kilogram per hectare. The removal of fuel subsidies accompanied by the increase in the world crude oil prices significantly impacts farmers’ income and productivity levels as it triggers higher production expenses. The simulation results of the policy suggest that the subsidy rationalisation programme will free up more funds for product development such as precision farming technology as well as increased farm practices by farmers

Fracking, wars and stock market crashes. The price of oil during the great recession.

This study analyses how oil prices have been affected by three types of events that took place during the Great Recession: the development of fracking, wars in Libya, Syria and Ukraine and the stock market crash of 2008. To do this, we employ co-integration analysis, using a vector error correction model (VECM) for a period spanning August 2007 to August 2016. The principal results obtained are: firstly, that including a variable to represent the increase in production associated to fracking in the US improves the model’s long term estimation, as it embraces a new variable co-integrated in the long term; secondly, that the wars in Libya and Ukraine only influenced prices indirectly, insofar as the former sparked a reduction in OPEC production and the latter an increase in OECD oil reserves, both short term; and thirdly, that the stock market crash of 2008 led to a short- term reduction in oil prices

Dynamic correlation between stock market and oil prices: The case of oil-importing and oil-exporting countries

The paper investigates the time-varying correlation between stock market prices and oil prices for oil-importing and oil-exporting countries. A DCC-GARCH-GJR approach is employed to test the above hypothesis based on data from six countries; Oil-exporting: Canada, Mexico, Brazil and Oil-importing: USA, Germany, Netherlands. The contemporaneous correlation results show that i) although time-varying correlation does not differ for oil-importing and oil-exporting economies, ii) the correlation increases positively (negatively) in respond to important aggregate demand-side (precautionary demand) oil price shocks, which are caused due to global business cycle’s fluctuations or world turmoil (i.e. wars). Supply-side oil price shocks do not influence the relationship of the two markets. The lagged correlation results show that oil prices exercise a negative effect in all stock markets, regardless the origin of the oil price shock. The only exception is the 2008 global financial crisis where the lagged oil prices exhibit a positive correlation with stock markets. Finally, we conclude that in periods of significant economic turmoil the oil market is not a safe haven for offering protection against stock market losses

Oil price shocks and stock market returns: New evidence from the United States and China

This study examines the time-varying correlations between oil prices shocks of different types (supply-side, aggregate demand and oil-market specific demand as per Kilian (2009) who highlighted that "Not all oil shocks are alike") and stock market returns, using a Scalar-BEKK model. For this study we consider the aggregate stock market indices from two countries, China and the US, reflecting the most important developing and developed financial markets in the world. In addition to the whole market, we also consider correlations from key selected industrial sectors, namely Metals & Mining, Oil & Gas, Retail, Technology and Banking. The sample period runs from 1995 until 2013. We highlight several key points: (i) correlations between oil price shocks and stock returns are clearly and systematically time-varying; (ii) oil shocks of different types show substantial variation in their impact upon stock market returns; (iii) these effects differ widely across industrial sectors; and finally (iv) China is seemingly more resilient to oil price shocks than the US

Economically justified equity investment strategies capable of withstanding growing interest rate environment

Mestrado em Economia Monetária e FinanceiraThis thesis proposes an approach for selection of stocks that could serve as a natural hedge for fixed income portfolios to minimize rising interest rate risk. The developed approach is applied to the case of US equity markets. Based on macroeconomic analysis, vector autoregressive model and Granger causality tests, and financial analysis, it is concluded that US financial sector is the optimal choice among all sectors that have strong correlations with interest rates. The thesis? results could be useful for interest rate risk management of the investment portfolios under the growing interest rate environment, in particular, and for investment industry professionals.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The response of corporate investments in the US to oil price changes: the role of asymmetries

This paper investigates the influence of oil price changes on corporate investment in the US using a large sample of 15,411 companies from 1984 to 2017. It adds to the literature by showing an asymmetric response of capital investments to oil price changes for non-oil companies. Particularly, positive oil price changes have a larger adverse impact on investments than the positive impact created by negative oil price changes. These results are important in assessing the impact of energy price fluctuations on the long-term investment decisions of US companies