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The Marshall-Lerner condition states that a trade balance improves after currency depreciation if trade elasticities exceed one. Using the Vector Error Correction Method (VECM), this study tests the condition for South Africa, focusing on how exchange rate changes affect the trade balance under a floating exchange rate regime. The analysis examines short- and long-run impacts on exports and imports to assess whether exchange rate adjustments can improve the trade balance. Findings reveal that global income growth and exchange rate appreciation positively influence exports, while imports increase with both appreciation and higher domestic income. Although exports and imports respond strongly to exchange rate changes, the Marshall-Lerner condition does not hold for South Africa, suggesting that exchange rate adjustments alone may not improve the trade balance.

The present study aims to examine the relationship between exchange rate undervaluation and economic growth in South Africa, focusing on the various transmission mechanisms through which this relationship occurs. Through the adoption of secondary quarterly data spanning the period 1980 to 2018 and a two-step Generalised Method of Moments approach. The study estimated a Behavioural Equilibrium Exchange Rate of South Africa and used it to construct a measure of Exchange rate undervaluation. Further, the study examined the effects of Exchange rate undervaluation on the tradable sector, the savings/capital accumulation sector, and the total factor productivity sector. The study found evidence of the tradable sector and total factor productivity (TFP) channels in South Africa. Therefore, we conclude that there exist valuable lessons to be learnt through the analysis of this relationship on a micro level compared to a macro level. Macro-level studies overlook the individual effects, hence why results have been inconclusive. This, therefore, means that South Africa has an incentive to keep the Rand at a competitive level since the industrial and agricultural sectors benefit from a competitive Exchange rate.

This study investigates the dynamic relationship between credit supply and demand shocks and household consumption in South Africa using a quantile autoregressive distributed lag (QARDL) model. Motivated by the increasing reliance of South African households on debt amid stagnant income growth, rising living costs, and persistent unemployment, the research aims to understand how credit market conditions influence consumption across different segments of the income distribution. Drawing on data spanning from 1970 to 2024, the study incorporates key macroeconomic variables including real GDP per capita, household income per capita, household debt as a percentage of GDP, the credit-to-GDP ratio, inflation, interest rates, and the unemployment rate. The QARDL framework allows for the estimation of both short-run and long-run relationships while accounting for heterogeneity across consumption quantiles. The results indicate that household consumption is more responsive to income shocks and credit availability in the lower and middle quantiles, suggesting heightened sensitivity among poorer households. Credit supply, proxied by the credit-to-GDP ratio, exhibits weak but positive short-run effects, while household debt consistently exerts a negative influence on consumption across all quantiles and time horizons, with stronger effects in lower quantiles. These findings highlight the consumption-depressing effects of excessive debt, especially for financially vulnerable households. Moreover, macroeconomic stability indicators such as inflation and interest rates are found to negatively affect consumption, particularly in lower quantiles, underscoring the uneven transmission of monetary policy. The empirical results support the hypothesis that household debt contributes to financial fragility and undermines consumption over time, while credit supply shocks play a more modest role. The study concludes that policies aimed at improving income stability, managing household debt levels, and enhancing financial inclusion—particularly for low-income groups—are essential for sustaining household consumption and promoting inclusive economic growth in South Africa.

Several official dating institutions viz: SARB, NBER, OECD, CEPR, and others, provide Business Cycle (BC) chronologies with lags ranging from three months to several years. This is problematic for the various oppressed as it poses limits to the usefulness of BC indicators in terms of forecasting and policy implementation at large. In this article, we propose the construction of composite indicators as accurate measures of business cycles in South Africa. We use this composite index to facilitate comparison of both a non-parametric Bry and Boschan dating algorithm and a parametric Markov Switching dating method, in terms of performance and accuracy of dating business cycle turning points in South Africa. Utilising data spanning the period 2000M1 – 2018M12, empirical evidence obtained is such that, composite indices are better than single indicators due to information rich. Further, while the parametric and non-parametric methods’ performances are matched in terms of the number of turning points identified, however, the non-parametric method is more accurate in identifying these turning points. Due to its accuracy the non-parametric method proved to be a promising method of dating business cycle turning points in South Africa and alleviate the problems which are currently facing the South African Reserve Bank, the private sector and the economy at large.

The article reports on the complementarity and substitutability of Macroprudential and Monetary policies in South Africa, based on the interactions of both Business and Financial cycles. To this end, a Dynamic Conditional Correlations and the Asymmetric Dynamic Conditional Correlations MGARCH models together with the Granger Causality model, the Artificial Neural Network VAR model, and the Structural VAR model, were adopted for the analyses of synchronization, causality, and the analysis of shocks to cycles, respectively. Empirical evidence obtained is such that, under conditions of financial and real economic stress in South Africa, there exists high synchronicity and bidirectional causality between CBCI and CFCI. Hence, Macroprudential and Monetary policies become complements, there exists interdependence between the two policies and actions of one policy contributes to the improvement of the other. However, under normal times there exist no synchronicity and a unidirectional causality relationship running from CBCI to CFCI, was observed. Under such conditions, Macroprudential and Monetary policies become substitutes, therefore, the two policies become independent of each other, hence, only one policy can achieve the desired outcome. Overall, a shock to one cycle is a major determinant of the fluctuations of the other cycle.

Following the 2007-2009 global financial crisis, the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) prioritised financial stability. This study assesses the impact of financial stability on South Africa's output and price stability, which is crucial for framing its monetary policy. Utilising a Structural Vector Autoregression (SVAR) approach, the influence of the Financial Conditions Index (FCI) on the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and Consumer Price Index (CPI) between 1960Q1 and 2022Q4 was analysed. Results revealed a strong connection between these objectives. GDP drops after an FCI disturbance, whereas the CPI trends upwards when the SARB counters financial imbalances. This vital finding indicates a positive relation between enhanced financial conditions and output stabilisation but reveals a trade-off between price and financial stability. After a GDP shock, financial conditions improve, but they deteriorate following a CPI shock. If the SARB reacts by "mopping up" post-crisis, the policy rate typically drops, pointing to potential financial vulnerabilities. Both GDP and CPI react positively to FCI disturbances when SARB is passive. The evidence suggests that while financial stability bolsters output stability, it might endanger price stability. Thus, amongst other recommendations, South Africa's monetary policy authorities must lean against financial imbalances instead of mopping after a crisis

This paper investigates the asymmetric exchange rate pass-through (ERPT) to inflation in Nigeria. The study employed Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) and Nonlinear ARDL (NARDL) models from 2010Q1 to 2024Q2. The analysis incorporates key policy changes, such as the 2023 exchange rate unification, and explores both the short- and long-run impacts of exchange rate fluctuations on food and headline inflation. In particular, the study highlights the response and pass-through periods of exchange rate shocks, with depreciation demonstrating a stronger and more immediate effect on inflation than on appreciation. Results reveal that exchange rate depreciation exerts significant cost-push pressures, with a pass-through effect observed within 3 to 4 quarters, while the effect of appreciation is weaker and more prolonged. This asymmetry is especially pronounced for food inflation, where the dependency on imported goods accelerates the transmission of exchange rate shocks to consumer prices. The study also finds that cumulative depreciation has a much more pronounced effect on inflation. At the same time, appreciation offers minimal relief, reflecting Nigeria’s vulnerability to exchange rate volatility due to its reliance on imports. The findings show the importance of managing exchange rate fluctuations to control inflation, particularly given the asymmetry in how depreciation and appreciation affect prices. By providing a comprehensive analysis of both long- and short-run dynamics, this study contributes to the understanding of ERPT in Nigeria, offering insights for policymakers to implement targeted interventions to mitigate inflationary pressures in the context of exchange rate instability.

This study investigates the long-term and short-term relationships between different monetary aggregates (M0, M1, M2, and M3) and GDP in Saudi Arabia using the Engle-Granger cointegration test and the Granger causality test. The results reveal that M2 has the most stable long-term relationship with GDP, making it the most reliable aggregate for policy formulation. M1 also shows a strong relationship, while M3’s connection is comparatively weaker. The causality analysis indicates bidirectional relationships between GDP and M1, M2, and M3, suggesting that changes in these aggregates can both influence and be influenced by economic activity. In contrast, M0 shows no significant long-term relationship and only responds to changes in GDP, indicating its limited policy relevance. These findings highlight the importance of using broader aggregates like M2 for effective policy targeting in Saudi Arabia’s evolving economic landscape. The study provides crucial insights for policymakers in selecting appropriate monetary aggregates for long-term planning and short-term economic stabilization.

Despite the many studies on inflation, stock prices, and foreign exchange reserves, there is still little research linking these three with world oil prices to the rupiah exchange rate, especially comparing them to conditions before and after the pandemic. This study aimed to test and analyze the effect of inflation, stock prices, foreign exchange reserves, and world oil prices on the rupiah exchange rate against the dollar. The object of this research is Bank Indonesia and the Stock Exchange by producing a sample in this study which is 62 months. The data is divided into 2 categories 31 months before the co-19 pandemic and 31 months during the co-19 pandemic. Data collection techniques in this study used secondary data.

In a two-period decision model, a central bank chooses a CBDC (central bank digital currency) interest rate and a representative household allocates resources into production, consumption, CBDC holding, and non-CBDC holding. The model’s analytical results and a plausible benchmark are compared with the empirics for the US, China and Russia. Interesting novelties of the article are that the model predicts that the US in 2021/2022 should choose  rather than 0.125% CBDC interest to combat its high October 2021 empirical inflation of 6.2%. That would induce households to hold more CBDC, hold less non-CBDC, and produce and consume less. In contrast, the model predicts that China should choose a low  rather than  CBDC interest rate. That would decrease each household’s CBDC holding and increase the low inflation. The model predicts that Russia should choose  rather than  CBDC interest rate. Russia’s strategy is remarkably consistent with the model’s predictions. The model predicts that the central bank should choose negative CBDC interest rate when the inflation and real interest rate are low, and the inflation target is high. The article shows how extremely high inflation, which increases the CBDC interest rate, makes production and consumption nearly impossible, unless the real interest rate is extremely negative.

This study aimed to investigate economic growth (RGDP) and its determinants such as internal debt (INDT), external debt (EXDT), interest rate (RINR), exchange rate (REXR) and trade openness (OPEN). Quarterly data from 1986-2021 used for this investigation were extracted from Central Bank of Nigeria.  Exploratory data analysis (EDA) revealed linear dependence of RGDP and the aforementioned determinants. The EDA and the variance inflation factor revealed the presence of multicollinearity caused by the INDT. As a result of this, the ridge regression method was used and it was found that the multicollinearity problem was addressed with appropriate ridge constant K= 0.29. Hence, ridge regression technique with constant K= 0.29 was a robust method to predict economic growth in Nigeria using the explanatory variables under consideration. Thus, served as a great benefit to the policy makers as the study provided a better understanding of the economic growth and the aforementioned determinants in terms of relationship and in particular the set back caused by EXDT on the economy of Nigeria. Also, the researchers benefited from this study as it engendered the understanding of the appropriate estimation technique to be used when the presence of multicollinearity was established in fitting a linear model. 

This study investigates the relationship between the three measures of manufacturing performance [manufacturing production growth rate (MPGR), share of manufacturing in GDP (SMGDP), capacity utilization rate (CUR)] and the variables of financial system stability [exchange rate (EXR), fiscal deficit (FD), lending rate (LR), saving rate (SR), consumer price index (CPI), bank loan to manufacturing sector (BLM)]. The study uses Johansen cointegration and Parsimonious error correction model as the estimation techniques. Findings from the results of the study reveals that there is a long-run relationship between the three measures of manufacturing performance (i.e. MPGR, SMGDP and CUR) and the variables of financial system stability in Nigeria during the period under review. Also, consumer price index (CPI) and lending rate (LR) have negative and significant impacts on manufacturing production growth rate (MPGR) in Nigeria. In addition, fiscal deficit (FD) and lending rate (LR) have significant and negative effect on share of manufacturing in GDP (SMGDP). Lastly, banks loan to manufacturing sector (BLM) has significant negative effect on capacity utilization rate (CUR) while exchange rate (EXR) has positive and significant impact on capacity utilization rate (CUR).

<p><em>This paper gives an overview of the concept of macroeconomic stabilization and, its measurement, goals and policy instruments. It starts with a review of the concept, measurement and goals of macroeconomic policy and, the goals performance measurement. After this, the paper looks at macroeconomic policies and its instruments, and macroeconomic stabilization problems. The next section examines the applicability of the stabilization instruments under various economic conditions and, this section is followed by a conclusion.</em></p>

<p><em>The link between </em><em>stock market development and economic activity has always been the subject of considerable debate in the field of economics and it raises empirical question whether stock market development influences economic activity or whether it is a consequence of increased economic activity. This study attempts to investigate the direction of causality between stock market development and economic growth in the Indian context. Using the cointegration and causality tests for the period June 1991 to June 2013, the study confirms a well defined long-run equilibrium relationship between the stock market development indicators and economic growth in India. The empirical results show bidirectional causality between market capitalisation and economic growth and unidirectional causality from turnover ratio to economic growth in the long-run and short-run. By and large, it can be inferred that the stock market development indicators viz. market capitalisation and turnover ratio have a positive influence on economic growth in India.</em><em></em></p>

<p><em>This paper employs a quarterly time series to determine the timing of structural breaks for interest rates in USA over the last 60 years. <strong>The Chow test</strong> is used for investigating the non-stationary, where the date of the potential break is assumed to be known. Moreover, we empirically examined the deviation from an assumed interest rate as given in a standard Taylor rule and consequences on financial sectors. The empirical analysis is strengthened by analysing the rule from a historical perspective and look at the effect of setting the interest rate by the central bank on financial imbalances. The empirical evidence indicates that deviation in monetary policy has a potential causal factor in the build up of financial imbalances and the subsequent crisis where macro prudential intervention could have beneficial effect. Thus, our findings tend to support the view, which states that the probable existence of central banks has been one source of global financial crisis since the past decade.</em></p>

<p><em>This article focuses on the empirical relationship between the United States’ and Japan’s yield spread of interest rates and economic growth in Japan. The yield spread is defined in this article as the difference between the Japanese government bond yield minus the US government bond yield. Some studies have tackled this issue and found a negative relationship between the yield spread and economic growth; however, recent studies have shown no or a weak relationship. This problem has not yet reached consensus in spite of its importance. As the Japanese interest rate has been quite low since the adoption of the zero interest rate policy at the end of 1990s, the situation may change the results. The empirical results show that reliability of yield spread as a leading indicator of output growth exists in Japan; however, term structure of interest rate is not related to output growth.</em><em></em></p>

<p>This paper can be described as a significant exploratory study that will provide a significant contribution to knowledge to consider crucial issues which need to be barriers to understanding or a temptation/ requirement to judge some practices as ‘better’ than others for stock market development effective approach and implement successful stock market performance and economic growth. Recent analysis of the link between financial development and growth, gained from insights acquired as a result of using the technique of endogenous growth models, has illustrated that growth without exogenous technical progress and that growth rates could be related to technology, income distribution and institutional arrangements. This provides the theoretical background that empirical studies have lacked; illustrating that financial intermediation affects the level of economic growth. Resulting models have provided new impetus to empirical research of the effects of financial development. The birth of the new endogenous growth theory has facilitated the development of improved growth models where the long-term rate could be affected by a number of elements. These included technology, education and health policies in the process of economic development, capital accumulation, government policies and institutional activities in the role of financial development in economic growth.</p>

This paper attempts to empirically examine the Reverse Causality hypothesis within the Nigerian context during the period 1980 – 2011. Employing Vector Error Correction Methodology (VECM), causality was found between inflation and government stocks, with causality running from government stocks to inflation, thus providing evidence in support of the reverse causality hypothesis. The results from the forecast error variance decomposition (FEVD) and impulse response functions tend to further lend credence to this finding. Accordingly, this study suggests, in part, the need for a tight monetary policy which would help to reduce inflation and stock prices, as such measures would leave the individuals with less money to buy stocks. Such efforts should be complemented by augmenting domestic production and encouraging investment through inexpensive bank finance. 

This article focuses on the empirical relationship between the United States’ and Japan’s yield spread of interest rates and economic growth in Japan. The yield spread is defined in this article as the difference between the Japanese government bond yield minus the US government bond yield. Some studies have tackled this issue and found a negative relationship between the yield spread and economic growth; however, recent studies have shown no or a weak relationship. This problem has not yet reached consensus in spite of its importance. As the Japanese interest rate has been quite low since the adoption of the zero interest rate policy at the end of 1990s, the situation may change the results. The empirical results show that reliability of yield spread as a leading indicator of output growth exists in Japan; however, term structure of interest rate is not related to output growth.