Stock Market Liberalizations In The South Asian Region

This study attempts to conduct an investigation of the characteristics of the South Asian stock markets including the effects of the opening of these markets. These markets were liberalized in early 1990s as a part of the economic reforms started in South Asian region about two decades ago. The analysis is conducted for four countries in South Asia, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka covering the period from 1980 to 2003. The analysis is done with the help of tables, regression analysis, Event Window analysis, and Error Correction Functions. The analysis indicates significant development in stock markets indicators such as market capitalization and trading value in the region following liberalization measure. However, the development in stock markets in South Asia do not seem to influence the real sector and the stock markets are still playing a minor role in their respective economies. The integration analysis suggests that the markets in South Asia are integrated with major markets, that is, of USA, UK, and Japan. There is clear evidence that the markets in India and Pakistan are affected by the major as well as by the regional markets in the long run. In the short run, however, the markets appear to be independent of one another.