Macroeconomic Report & Economic Updates
February 16, 2016
Nigeria Economic Update (Issue 8)
Recent
data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) show that total capital
importation in 2015 fell steeply by 53.5 per cent from $20,750.76 million in
2014 to $9,643.01 million in 20152. This decline was largely driven
by a substantial drop in portfolio investment (the largest component of Capital
Inflows), which fell by 59.74 percent. The exclusion of Nigeria from the JP Morgan
EM Bond index, the slump in crude oil prices, the decision of the US Federal
Reserve to raise interest rates and the capital control measures imposed by the
Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) are the notable drivers of the reduced inflow of
capital. Going forward, improving the business environment, especially easing
foreign exchange controls, would determine the extent to which the economy can
attract increased capital inflows.
Related
Portfolio Diversification Between Developed And Less Developed Economies
This study
examines the hedging effectiveness of portfolio investment diversification
between developed and developing economies; with focus on the Nigerian stock
asset vis--vis the stock assets of the United States (US) and United Kingdom
(UK). Its main contribution is in the analysis of optimal portfolio
diversification using optimal portfolio weight (OPW) and optimal hedging ratio
(OHR). Empirical findings show that the OPW and OHR are low, which indicates impressive
potential gains from combining Nigerian stock assets in an investment portfolio
with US and UK stock assets. In addition, exchange rate volatility is found to
pose stern limitation on the potential benefits of this portfolio
diversification arrangement. It is therefore recommended that the monetary
authority in Nigeria should pursue policies towards reducing exchange rate
volatility to the barest minimum. This will possibly attract more investors
from developed economies who might be willing to combine Nigerian stock in
their investment portfolio to minimize portfolio risk.
Nigeria Economic Chart Pack (2016H1)
The Nigeria Economic Chart Pack is a graphical display of relevant and periodic data to capture trends in the domestic economy. The report aims to illustrate the changes in economic trends with the aid of descriptive charts and a short note that describes the trend and drivers for the graphs.