Monetary policy and firms’ investment: Dynamic panel data evidence from Malaysia

This study examines the effects of monetary policy on firms’ balance sheet, with a particular focus on the effects upon the firms’ fixed-investment spending. It uses a dynamic panel system GMM estimation proposed by Blundell and Bond (1998). The focal point has given to the two main channels of monetary policy transmission mechanism such as interest rates and broad credit channel in transmitting to firm investment spending. By estimating the firms’ investment model using a dynamic neo-classical framework, the empirical results tend to support the relevance of interest rates and broad credit channel in transmitting to the firm balance sheet condition that is firm’s investment spending. The results also reveal that the effect of monetary policy channels to the firms’ investment are heterogeneous fashioned, which is the small firms who faced financial constraint are responded more due to monetary tightening as compared to the large firm (less constraint firms). Thus, the monetary authority has to concern the microeconomic aspects of the firm in formulation their monetary policy.Monetary policy, Financial Constraint, Firm Investment, Dynamic Panel Data

Institution and foreign direct investment (FDI) : survey of the literature

In this paper, I survey the current literature relating to the relationship between the institution and foreign direct investment (FDI). In doing so, I have comprehensively analyzed two most recent paper written by Busse and Hefeker (2007) and Daude and Stein (2007). Both articles have used a difference econometric methodology, explanatory variables and institutions measurement in order to link whether institution variables matter or not in influencing the behaviour of foreign investors, in particular from Multinational Enterprise (MNE’s). Based on these papers, they found that a better institution in term of government stability, investment profile, internal and external conflicts, law and order, democratic accountability and bureaucratic quality are pre-requisite for promoting the investment from MNE’s. Therefore, the policy makers have to maintain a sound institution in order to take advantage the inflow of foreign investment. However, I argued that a sound institution is an inadequately in explaining the behaviour of MNE’s. A good interaction between institutional variables and other macro variables such as a well-developed financial system, favourable growth performance, high trade openness, excellent infrastructure development, low country risk as well as an attractive fiscal and monetary incentive are also vital in stimulating the inflow of FDI to the host countries.Institution; Foreign Direct Investment (FDI); Econometric Modelling

Microfinance and Mechanism Design: The Role of Joint Liability and Cross-Reporting

Since the establishment of Grameen Bank in 1976 by Professor Muhammad Yunus , many economists have studied extensively, either theoretically or empirically, the success of the Grameen Bank in eradicating the poverty problem in Bangladesh. Therefore, this paper aims to apply the mechanism design theory in microfinance by examining the role of joint liability and cross-reporting mechanism in the loan contract which designing by microfinance lender. In doing so, this study simplified the joint liability mechanism proposed by Ghatak (1999, 2000) and cross-reporting mechanism by Rai and Sjostrom (2004). Based on the joint-liability mechanism, it is clearly stated that the microfinance lender can minimize or avoid the adverse selection problem in the credit market through peer selection and peer screening. In the meantime, the joint liability mechanism is better than individual lending in terms of increasing the social welfare among the poor borrower, charging lower interest rates and generating high repayment rates. In contrast, Rai and Sjostrom (2004) argue that joint liability alone is not enough to efficiently induce borrowers to help each other. Indeed, the cross-reporting mechanism is also important for lenders in order to minimize the problem of asymmetric information in the credit market. The cross-reporting mechanism is also efficient because it can influence the borrower to be truthful-telling about the state of the project and subsequently can minimize the deadweight loss (punishment) among the borrowers. In comparison, without cross-reporting, the lending mechanism is inefficient because the borrower will be imposed harsh punishment from the bank and the bank can undertake auditing or verify the state of the project and punish accordingly.Microfinance; mechanism design; joint liability; cross-reporting

Foreign Shocks, Monetary Policy, and Macroeconomic Fluctuations in a Small Open Economy: A SVAR Study of Malaysia

This paper investigates the effect of foreign shocks upon domestic macroeconomic fluctuations and monetary policy, and examines the effectiveness of domestic monetary policy as a stabilization policy in Malaysia.  Monetary policy variables (interest rate and money supply) have been measured through a non-recursive structural VAR (SVAR) identification scheme, which allows the monetary authority to set the interest rate and money supply after observing the current value of foreign variables, domestic output and inflation. The results show the important role of foreign shocks in influencing Malaysian monetary policy and macroeconomic variables. There is a real effect of monetary policy, that is, a positive shock in money supply increases domestic output. In contrast, a positive interest rates shock has a negative effect on domestic output growth and inflation. The effects of money supply and interest rate shocks on the exchange rate and stock prices are also consistent with standard economic theory. In addition, domestic monetary policy is able to mitigate the negative effect of external shocks upon domestic economy

Interest Rates Targeting of Monetary Policy: An Open Economy SVAR Study of Malaysia

This paper examines the implementation of monetary policy during the interest rates targeting in a small-open economy (i.e. Malaysia) by using an open-economy structural VAR (SVAR) study. It tests the effect of foreign shocks upon domestic macroeconomic fluctuations and monetary policy, and examines how effective monetary policy is in influencing macroeconomic variables. The results show that during interest rates targeting, monetary policy plays a significant role in affecting macroeconomics variables. This finding suggests that monetary policy has an important role as a stabilization policy in a small-open economy.    

Bank lending channel of monetary policy: dynamic panel data evidence from Malaysia

This paper aims to investigate the relevance of bank-lending channel (BLC) of monetary policy in a small-open economy, i.e. Malaysia by using disaggregated bank-level data set. A dynamic panel data method namely GMM framework proposed by Arellano and Bond (1991), Arellano and Bover (1995), and Blundell and Bond (1998) have been used in estimating the dynamic of banks’ loan supply function. The empirical evidence has stated that monetary policy shocks is significantly and negatively influenced the banks’ loan supply, and therefore has supported the existence of BLC in Malaysia. In addition, several bank-characteristics variables namely bank liquidity and bank capitalization (capital adequacy ratio) are also statistically significant in influencing the banks’ loan supply. Therefore, the implementation of monetary policy is effective in influencing economic activity via bank balance sheet position, in particular bank loans.Bank-lending channel, monetary policy, dynamic panel data

Hubungan antara hasil dengan perbelanjaan: Bukti empirikal kerajaan persekutuan dan kerajaan negeri di Malaysia

The main objective of this study is to examine the direction of causality relationship between two fiscal variables such as government spending and tax revenue. According to prior studies, there are several hypotheses to explain the relationship between revenue and spending, such as (1) spend-revenue hypothesis, (2) revenue-spend hypothesis and (3) bi-directional causality hypothesis which support the fiscal synchronization hypothesis. To test the validity of these hypotheses, this study utilised several time series econometric techniques such as cointegration test, Granger causality test, variance decomposition and impulse response function. Based on empirical evidence, we can conclude the existence of spend-revenue hypothesis for the federal government. This means that growth in government spending causes the growth in revenue. Meanwhile, for the state government, the empirical finding showed the bi-directional causality between government spending and revenue which support the fiscal synchronization hypothesis. In addition, the growth in the GDP also causes growth in federal dan state government spending, which supports the Wagner theorem

Monetary policy shocks, financial constraints and firm- level equity return: Panel evidence

The present paper investigates the effect of monetary policy shocks upon the equity returns of financially constrained and less-constrained firms in Malaysia for the 1990-2008 period using firm-level data. Monetary policy shocks are generated via a recursive structural VAR (SVAR) identification scheme that allows the monetary authority to set the overnight interbank rate after observing the current value of world oil price, foreign income, foreign monetary policy, domestic output and inflation. The Malaysian firms examined are divided into two categories based upon the cash flow to income ratio, namely financially constrained and financially less-constrained. After augmenting the Fama and French (1992, 1996) multifactor model using a dynamic panel data approach, the results reveal that equity returns of financially constrained firms are more affected by domestic monetary policy than the returns of less constrained firms. Meanwhile, international monetary policy shocks significantly influence the equity returns of financially less-constrained firms, but not those of financially constrained firms