The impact of world gold prices on the stock market indices of emerging markets: A panel data analysis

The integration of international financial markets and linkages between financial and economic variables have instigated policymakers to try to influence and exercise control over the behavior of some of these variables through policies and investors to make informed investment decisions. Among such variables are stocks that are traded on stock markets. It performs a vital function in the economy and is easily tradeable. It is therefore prudent that its relationship with other economic and financial variables be known for making informed decisions. This research employed monthly data on gold, exchange, inflation, interest rates, and stock market indexes of 19 emerging economy countries for the period 01/2004-12/2019 to scrutinize the relationship between them with stock as a dependent variable. The dynamic panel ARDL model is employed for the research. The results showed the presence of a long-term relationship between stock indices, gold, exchange, inflation, and interest rates. In the long-term, inflation and interest rates are having highly significant coefficients. Both inflation and interest rates have a negative relationship with stock prices. Gold and exchange rate do not have any significant impact on stock indices in the long-term. However, in the short term, with the exception of inflation, all the variables are significant. Traditional theory holds in the long-term whilst in the short-term, portfolio theory holds. Gold does not serve as a hedge nor a diversifier in the long-term but serves as a diversifier for stocks in the short-term, inflation only has an impact on stock prices in the long-term and interest-bearing assets serve as an alternative investment hub to stocks both in the short and long-term.