Financial Economics Letters

oa Open Access

E-ISSN: 2972-3426

Financial Economics Letters (FEL) is a scholarly peer-reviewed journal invited submissions in all areas of financial economics, broadly defined. FEL’s emphasis is on theoretical developments and their implementation, empirical, applied, and policy-oriented research in financial economics.

Papers are invited in the following areas: Asset Management; Asset Pricing; Bankruptcy and Liquidation; Behavioural Finance; Bitcoin Investment; Banking; Corporate Finance; Corporate Governance; Commodities; Contagion, Crises and Interdependence; Derivatives; Energy Finance; FinTech; Fund Management; Financial Econometrics; Financial markets and marketplaces; Financial Mathematics and Econophysics; Forecasting; International Finance; Market Efficiency; Mergers, Acquisitions and the Market for Corporate Control; Micro Finance Institutions Microstructure; Networks; Performance Analysis; Political Risk; Portfolio Optimization; Regulation of Financial Markets and Institutions; Risk Management and Analysis; Systemic Risk; Term Structure Models; Venture Capital.

View full aims & scope

Latest Articles More >>
Open Access Journal Article
An analysis of how digital technology impacts trade costs—Based on the empirical data of RCEP member countries
by Juan Meng , Hao Lu  and  Shenxiang She
FEL  2024 3(3):31; 10.58567/fel03030001 - 15 September 2024
Abstract
This paper explores how digital technology reduces trade costs using bilateral trade data from RCEP member countries and a panel fixed effects model. The findings show that digital technology significantly lowers trade costs, a conclusion that holds even after accounting for lag effects and various robustness checks. The impact of digital technology on trade costs follows an in [...] Read more

Open Access Journal Article
Return and Volatility Properties Comparison of High-ESG Rating and Low-ESG Rating Exchange-traded Funds (ETFs)
by John Francis T. Diaz , Michael N. Young  and  Yogi Tri Prasetyo
FEL  2024 3(2):30; 10.58567/fel03020005 - 15 June 2024
Abstract
This study compares return and volatility performance of exchange-traded funds (ETFs) with high-ESG (Environment, Social, and Governance) rating vs. low-ESG rating. The paper also examines time-series data predictability by identifying their positive dependence and volatility asymmetry properties, and examines the performance of two combinations of short-memory models i.e., aut [...] Read more

Open Access Journal Article
Electronic Payments System and Banking Industry’s Return in Nigeria: A Time-Varying Granger Causality Approach
by Abubakar Sani Ibrahim , John Olu-Coris Aiyedogbon  and  Obumneke Ezie
FEL  2024 3(2):29; 10.58567/fel03020004 - 15 June 2024
Abstract
The paper is motivated by the growth of the electronic payments system and its relevance in enhancing the banking industry's earnings. Consequently, the paper examines the causal relationship between the electronic payments system and the banking industry's returns in Nigeria. The paper offers some important contributions to the literature involving the use of an approach that [...] Read more

Open Access Journal Article
Funds Flows and Returns: The Case of the Australian Equity ETFs
by Gerasimos G. Rompotis
FEL  2024 3(2):28; 10.58567/fel03020003 - 15 June 2024
Abstract
The relation between fund flows and returns in the Australian ETF industry is assessed in this study. Daily data from 43 equity ETFs over the period 2019-2023 are used. The main research objective is to accentuate whether past returns can predict future fund flows and in what way and vice versa. According to the results of the applied regression analysis, past flows and past re [...] Read more

Open Access Journal Article
How Shopping Platforms Play a Role in the Credit Card Industry
by Sipeng Zeng
FEL  2024 3(2):27; 10.58567/fel03020002 - 15 June 2024
Abstract
We develop a four-party model involving banks, merchants, consumers, and platform firms to explain why large shopping malls can offer interest-free installment services to consumers. Using a collaboration between an online shopping platform firm and multiple banks to issue co-branded credit cards as a natural experiment, we find that consumers’ spending on the platform fu [...] Read more

Open Access Journal Article
COVID-19 and SMEs deposits with commercial banks: evidence from African economies
by Abdulazeez Y.H. Saif-Alyousfi
FEL  2024 3(1):19; 10.58567/fel03010006 - 15 March 2024
Abstract
This paper examines the impact of COVID-19 on Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) deposits across 13 African nations from 2016 to 2022, using a seven-year dataset and Ordinary Least Squares estimator. Notably, it uncovers a significant positive link between the pandemic and SMEs deposits, indicating heightened reserves amidst economic uncertainty, potentially driven by ri [...] Read more

Open Access Journal Article
Investigating the Joint Impact of Exchange Rate and Foreign Direct Investment Inflows on Domestic Interest Rate in Nigeria
by Innocent Chile Nzeh , Uche Collins Nwogwugwu , Maria Chinecherem Uzonwanne , Christopher Urua Kalu  and  Emmanuel Chinonye Akalazu
FEL  2024 3(2):26; 10.58567/fel03020001 - 05 February 2024
Abstract
The sensitive nature of interest rate has spurred empirical interests on the factors that determine it. This paper examined the joint impact of exchange rate and foreign direct investment inflows on interest rate in Nigeria over the period from 1981-2022. The study made use of the auto regressive distributed lag (ARDL) bounds test and results of findings reveal that in both the [...] Read more
Show Figures

Open Access Journal Article
Nexus Between Asset Class Volatility and the Output Gap in Nigeria: A Bayesian Var Approach
by richard umeokwobi , Abayomi Awujola , Emeka Nkoro  and  Marvelous Aigbedion
FEL  2024 3(1):25; 10.58567/fel03010004 - 19 January 2024
Abstract
Excessive volatility in financial markets can disrupt economic activity, affect investor and consumer confidence, and potentially lead to financial crises in an economy. Due to this backdrop, this study examined the link between asset class volatility and the output gap in Nigeria. The asset classes were categorized into stock, crude, gold, and bitcoin. The study adopted the GA [...] Read more

Open Access Journal Article
African exchange rates amidst the COVID-19 pandemic
by Turki Rashed Alshammari
FEL  2024 3(1):24; 10.58567/fel03010005 - 17 January 2024
Abstract
The study investigates the impact of COVID-19 on African exchange rates, employing a panel dataset over the period 2016-2022 from 13 African economies and employing pooled OLS estimator. The findings reveal a noteworthy positive correlation between COVID-19 levels and exchange rates within the region. However, this association necessitates deeper exploration due to its multifac [...] Read more

Open Access Journal Article
The Impact of Economic Policy Uncertainty on Systemic Risk in the Fintech Industry: Evidence from Crisis Events and the COVID-19 Pandemic
by Aktham Maghyereh  and  Jinxin Cui
FEL  2024 3(1):23; 10.58567/fel03010003 - 16 January 2024
Abstract
This paper investigates the effect of economic policy uncertainty (EPU) on the systemic risk of the fintech industry. To achieve this goal, we first estimate the evolution of system-wide systemic risk using the CatFin method. We further examine whether EPU significantly affects systemic risk. Our findings demonstrate that the systemic risk of the fintech industry is time-varian [...] Read more