This study investigates the long- and short-run relationship between stock- and housingprices in Finland, Denmark, Norway and Sweden between 1987-2017 and 1995-2017 with data from OECD statistics. By using interest rate as a control variable and Johansen's Test for Cointegration, the results show a significant relationship for Finland during the period 1995-2017. The short-run analysis implies a credit effect, which is inline with previous studies. However, in Denmark, Norway and Sweden the analysis show no sign of cointegration. A possible explanation for the insignificant results could be the high degree of policy implementations and changes to market structures in the early 1990s, which theoretically could be controlled for by including additional control variables in the analysis.

Thesis (M. Com. (Economics)) -- University of Limpopo, 2017 / Investment as one of the important macroeconomic variables can ensure infrastructure development and growth in the economy by raising the productive capacity. The study seeks to examine the determinants of investment activity in South Africa by means of the Cointegrated Vector Autoregression approach. The results of this study could assist policy makers to come up with policies that could encourage investment. The findings will add to the existing theory and knowledge as there is limited research on investment, more especially in South Africa. The empirical results revealed that the long and short run relationship exists amongst the variables under investigation. Furthermore, it was found that there is positive relationship between economic growth, interest rate, inflation and investment. Taxation and investment are negatively related in South Africa both in the long and short run. This indicates that investment activity can be explained by tax, economic growth, interest rates and inflation. The study recommend that the government should also find methods of increasing its revenue base. This could be done by creating a tax policy and system that is able to capture the informal sector because various un-registered businesses go unrecorded when estimating the tax to be collected in a fiscal year. This may be another way of increasing the level economic growth (GDP) since it will generate more fund for government to spend. KEY CONCEPTS: Gross fixed capital formation, Economic growth, taxation, interest rates, inflation.