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This study aims to identify the convergence of financial sector development and the effect of macroeconomic variables on each financial sector development indicator in Asia. The sample used consists of 24 countries in Asia during the period 2010-2018. Identification of convergence using ?-convergence absolute and conditional. Indicators are used to represent the development of the financial sector namely private credit, liquid liabilities, stock market capitalization, and stock market turnover. Empirical evidence was based on the Generalized Method of Moment (GMM) estimation technique. The results showed that there was convergence in Asia and that macroeconomic variables had a significant effect on the development of the financial sector.

 This paper utilizes the Least Squares Dummy Variables (LSDV) technique in investigating the effect of financial depth on economic growth within a sample of middle-income countries, over the period 2005–2017. The research finds that financial depth has a negative impact on real GDP growth within middle-income countries. This result is robust to the use of alternative measures of financial depth, the use of per capita GDP growth as a proxy for economic growth, the inclusion of dummy variables to control for the 2007–2010 global financial crisis, the exclusion of countries with high average growth as well as across income levels. Based on its findings, this study recommends the need for robust regulations to ensure that the credit facilities of domestic financial institutions are channeled towards productive investments rather than debt servicing.

This paper inspects whether the South Africa Reserve Bank’s (SARB) Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) statements trigger have a causality with newspaper reports from the Mail and Guardian between 2010 and 2021. The study examines whether SARB’s post MPC statements’ readability is reciprocated in the subsequent Mail and Guardian newspaper articles. Using the Flesch Reading Ease Score and Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level score as the methodology, there is a systematic unpacking of both SARB’s MPC statements and newspaper reports from the Mail and Guardian which yield a dataset which is subsequently used to create a computation. This computation is then used to examine whether SARB’s MPC statements Granger cause the subsequent Mail and Guardian newspaper articles. Resultantly, the results show that there is no Granger causality between the SARB’s MPC statements and the Mail and Guardian’s Flesch Reading Ease Score and Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level score.

The South African Reserve Bank (SARB) migrated to inflation targeting in 2000 and has since embarked on a trajectory of transparency. This has taken the shape of releasing Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) statements other forms of communication. This paper examines SARB’s MPC statements’ tone and sentiment between 2000 and 2021 using the Besigye-Segawa’s TextBlob polarity and subjectivity calculator which measures central bank communication tone and sentiment using the Loughran-McDonald dictionary’s word classification to gauge polarity and subjectivity. The study goes on to explore causality of SARB’s MPC statements’ tone and sentiment on inflation expectation results from the Bureau of Economic (BER) results survey. The systematic analysis shows a causality of SARB’s MPC statements’ tone and sentiment on succeeding BER’s inflation expectations results therein justifying the need for effective communication as SARB’s MPC communications’ polarity and subjectivity ultimately have a causal effect on inflation expectations. therein justifying the need for effective communication. As central bank tone and sentiment studies are only emerging in many emerging and frontier markets, this study lays a foundation for future exploration of effects of central bank communication on the expectations channel.

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).

This paper inspects whether the South Africa Reserve Bank’s (SARB) Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) statements trigger have a causality with newspaper reports from the Mail and Guardian between 2010 and 2021. The study examines whether SARB’s post MPC statements’ readability is reciprocated in the subsequent Mail and Guardian newspaper articles. Using the Flesch Reading Ease Score and Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level score as the methodology, there is a systematic unpacking of both SARB’s MPC statements and newspaper reports from the Mail and Guardian which yield a dataset which is subsequently used to create a computation. This computation is then used to examine whether SARB’s MPC statements Granger cause the subsequent Mail and Guardian newspaper articles. Resultantly, the results show that there is no Granger causality between the SARB’s MPC statements and the Mail and Guardian’s Flesch Reading Ease Score and Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level score.

This study aims to identify the convergence of financial sector development and the effect of macroeconomic variables on each financial sector development indicator in Asia. The sample used consists of 24 countries in Asia during the period 2010-2018. Identification of convergence using ?-convergence absolute and conditional. Indicators are used to represent the development of the financial sector namely private credit, liquid liabilities, stock market capitalization, and stock market turnover. Empirical evidence was based on the Generalized Method of Moment (GMM) estimation technique. The results showed that there was convergence in Asia and that macroeconomic variables had a significant effect on the development of the financial sector.

The South African Reserve Bank (SARB) migrated to inflation targeting in 2000 and has since embarked on a trajectory of transparency. This has taken the shape of releasing Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) statements other forms of communication. This paper examines SARB’s MPC statements’ tone and sentiment between 2000 and 2021 using the Besigye-Segawa’s TextBlob polarity and subjectivity calculator which measures central bank communication tone and sentiment using the Loughran-McDonald dictionary’s word classification to gauge polarity and subjectivity. The study goes on to explore causality of SARB’s MPC statements’ tone and sentiment on inflation expectation results from the Bureau of Economic (BER) results survey. The systematic analysis shows a causality of SARB’s MPC statements’ tone and sentiment on succeeding BER’s inflation expectations results therein justifying the need for effective communication as SARB’s MPC communications’ polarity and subjectivity ultimately have a causal effect on inflation expectations. therein justifying the need for effective communication. As central bank tone and sentiment studies are only emerging in many emerging and frontier markets, this study lays a foundation for future exploration of effects of central bank communication on the expectations channel.

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).

 This paper utilizes the Least Squares Dummy Variables (LSDV) technique in investigating the effect of financial depth on economic growth within a sample of middle-income countries, over the period 2005–2017. The research finds that financial depth has a negative impact on real GDP growth within middle-income countries. This result is robust to the use of alternative measures of financial depth, the use of per capita GDP growth as a proxy for economic growth, the inclusion of dummy variables to control for the 2007–2010 global financial crisis, the exclusion of countries with high average growth as well as across income levels. Based on its findings, this study recommends the need for robust regulations to ensure that the credit facilities of domestic financial institutions are channeled towards productive investments rather than debt servicing.