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Thesis (M.Sc. (Statistics)) -- University of Limpopo. 2014 / A number of previous research studies have investigated volatility and financial risks in the ermeging markets. This dissertation investigates stock returns volatility and financial risks in the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE). The investigation is con- ducted in modelling volatility using Autoregressive Moving Average-Generalised Au- toregressive Conditional Heteroskedastic (ARMA-GARCH)-type models. Daily data of the log returns at the JSE over the period 08 January, 2002 to 30 December, 2011 is used. The results suggest that daily returns can be characterised by an ARMA (1, 0) process. Empirical results show that ARMA (1, 0)-GARCH (1, 1) model achieves the most accurate volatility forecast. Modelling tail behaviour of rare and extreme events is an important issue in the risk management of a financial portfolio. Extreme Value Theory (EVT) is applied to quantify upper extreme returns. Generalised Ex- treme Value (GEV) distribution is used to model the behaviour of extreme returns. Empirical results show that the Weibull distribution can be used to model stock re- turns on the JSE. In using the Generalised Pareto Distribution (GPD), the modelling framework used accommodates ARMA and GARCH models. The GPD is applied to ARMA-GARCH filtered returns series and the model is referred to as the ARMA- GARCH-GPD model. The threshold value is estimated using Pareto quantile plot while peak-over-threshold approach is used to model the upper extreme returns. In general, the ARMA-GARCH-GPD model produces more accurate estimates of ex- treme returns than the ARMA-GARCH model. The out of sample forecast indicates that the ARMA (1, 3)-GARCH (1, 1) model provides the most accurate results.

<p>In Chapter 1, I review the existing literature on the investor and contracting usefulness of other comprehensive income (OCI) components. In Chapter 2, I perform empirical tests focused on one aspect of investor usefulness of accounting information: risk-relevance. I examine whether OCI component volatilities are associated with investors' returns volatility using a sample of bank holding companies from 1998 to 2012. The results indicate that the volatilities of unrealized gains and losses on available-for-sale (AFS) securities and cash-flow hedges, typically deemed beyond managers' control, are negatively associated with risk, while volatilities of OTTI losses, over which managers have relatively more control, are positively associated with risk. The results are consistent with investors perceiving the volatility of non-OTTI AFS unrealized gains and losses as relatively less important, less risky, or less risk-relevant, than the volatility of OTTI losses, and perceiving the volatility of OTTI losses as an informative signal about risk. In Chapter 3, I find that Tier 1 Capital including more components of accumulated other comprehensive income (AOCI), as stipulated by Basel III, is no more volatile than pre-Basel-III Tier 1 Capital, and that the volatilities of the AOCI components new to Tier 1 Capital are not positively associated with risk. In Chapter 4, I discuss future research.</p> / Dissertation

<p>This thesis consists of an introduction and four papers exploring various aspects of the Namibian economy. These aspects cover shadow pricing, environmental valuation and capital market development in Namibia.</p><p>Paper I estimates the shadow prices of capital, labour and foreign exchange for the Namibian economy. The results suggest that the shadow price of capital for Namibia is 7.2%. The economic costs of Namibian labour, as a share of financial costs, are 32% for urban semi- and unskilled labour, and 54% for rural semi- and unskilled labour. The economic cost of foreign labour as a share of financial costs is 59%. The estimated shadow exchange rate factor is 4% for the Namibian economy.</p><p>Paper II derives a set of accounting price ratios (APRs) for the various economic sectors of Namibia by using the Semi-Input–Output (SIO) Technique. An APR is the ratio between the market or financial price and the efficiency or economic value of a specific commodity or sector, which is useful for the economic analysis of investment or development initiatives. This larger set of APRs, derived on the basis of information contained in a Namibian Social Accounting Matrix (SAM), should be useful in improving the effective appraisal of development projects and other major investment programmes in Namibia.</p><p>Paper III analyses returns and volatility on the Namibian and South African stock markets, using the daily closing indices of the Namibian Stock Exchange (NSX) and the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE). The sample covers the period from 4 January 1999 to 20 March 2003. The methodology has three main parts: (i) unit root tests, (ii) cointegration analysis, and (iii) volatility modelling. The results show that the two markets exhibit very low correlations, and there is no evidence of a linear relationship between the markets. Furthermore, a volatility analysis shows evidence of no spillover effects. These results suggest that the NSX could be an attractive risk diversification tool for regional portfolio diversification in southern Africa</p><p>Paper IV studies the determinants of property prices in the township areas of Windhoek, the capital of Namibia. The work‟s major finding is that properties located close to an environmental bad (e.g. garbage dump) sell at considerable discounts. On the other hand, properties located near an environmental good (e.g. a recreational open space) sell at a premium. These results provide evidence of the importance of environmental quality in lower-income property markets in developing countries. It is important, therefore, for Namibian urban planners to incorporate environmental quality into the planning framework for lower-income areas.</p>

This thesis consists of an introduction and four papers exploring various aspects of the Namibian economy. These aspects cover shadow pricing, environmental valuation and capital market development in Namibia. Paper I estimates the shadow prices of capital, labour and foreign exchange for the Namibian economy. The results suggest that the shadow price of capital for Namibia is 7.2%. The economic costs of Namibian labour, as a share of financial costs, are 32% for urban semi- and unskilled labour, and 54% for rural semi- and unskilled labour. The economic cost of foreign labour as a share of financial costs is 59%. The estimated shadow exchange rate factor is 4% for the Namibian economy. Paper II derives a set of accounting price ratios (APRs) for the various economic sectors of Namibia by using the Semi-Input–Output (SIO) Technique. An APR is the ratio between the market or financial price and the efficiency or economic value of a specific commodity or sector, which is useful for the economic analysis of investment or development initiatives. This larger set of APRs, derived on the basis of information contained in a Namibian Social Accounting Matrix (SAM), should be useful in improving the effective appraisal of development projects and other major investment programmes in Namibia. Paper III analyses returns and volatility on the Namibian and South African stock markets, using the daily closing indices of the Namibian Stock Exchange (NSX) and the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE). The sample covers the period from 4 January 1999 to 20 March 2003. The methodology has three main parts: (i) unit root tests, (ii) cointegration analysis, and (iii) volatility modelling. The results show that the two markets exhibit very low correlations, and there is no evidence of a linear relationship between the markets. Furthermore, a volatility analysis shows evidence of no spillover effects. These results suggest that the NSX could be an attractive risk diversification tool for regional portfolio diversification in southern Africa Paper IV studies the determinants of property prices in the township areas of Windhoek, the capital of Namibia. The work‟s major finding is that properties located close to an environmental bad (e.g. garbage dump) sell at considerable discounts. On the other hand, properties located near an environmental good (e.g. a recreational open space) sell at a premium. These results provide evidence of the importance of environmental quality in lower-income property markets in developing countries. It is important, therefore, for Namibian urban planners to incorporate environmental quality into the planning framework for lower-income areas.

A presente pesquisa objetivou verificar se medidas contábeis calculadas por meio do lucro abrangente e de seus componentes são relevantes na explicação do risco das empresas. Para isso, analisou-se amostra composta por 105 companhias brasileiras de capital aberto com ações negociadas na BM&FBovespa. Foram selecionadas empresas não financeiras com dados disponíveis no período compreendido entre o primeiro trimestre de 2011 e o primeiro de trimestre de 2015, sendo excluídas empresas com ações de baixa liquidez. Inicialmente, avaliou-se por meio de análise de estatísticas descritivas e do Teste de Wilcoxon se o lucro abrangente é mais volátil que o lucro líquido. Esta primeira hipótese de pesquisa não foi refutada e se constatou que, para as empresas que compõem a amostra estudada, a volatilidade do lucro abrangente foi 30,84% superior à volatilidade do lucro líquido, evidenciando que a análise focada única e exclusivamente no lucro líquido induziria o usuário da informação contábil a ignorar possíveis fontes de risco da empresa. Para a análise da relevância do lucro abrangente e de seus componentes na explicação do risco, foi feita análise de regressão com dados em painel por meio de oito modelos estimados, cada qual com diferentes variáveis explicativas e abordagens de risco, estimado por meio da volatilidade dos retornos das ações (risco total) e do beta de mercado (risco sistemático). Os resultados apresentados evidenciaram que a relação entre a volatilidade do lucro abrangente e o risco da empresa é superior àquela observada entre a volatilidade do lucro líquido e o risco, porém tal relação não se mostrou estatisticamente significante. Todavia, verificou-se que a volatilidade do valor referente a outros resultados abrangentes possui relação negativa e estatisticamente significante com seu risco sistemático. Ganhos e perdas com hedges de fluxo de caixa e com ativos financeiros classificados como disponíveis para venda apresentaram relação negativa e estatisticamente significante com o risco da empresa, o que, de acordo com estudos anteriores, deve-se ao fato de que resultados não realizados estariam além do controle dos gestores. As evidências apresentadas pelo presente estudo corroboram a importância do assunto, fornecendo insumos para discussões sobre políticas contábeis relacionadas ao lucro e para o desenvolvimento de métricas contábeis para a avaliação do risco das empresas. / This research aimed to verify if the comprehensive income and its components are relevant in explanation of the firm risk. Thus, it analyzed sample of 105 Brazilian public companies listed on the BM&FBovespa. Non-financial companies with available data from the first quarter of 2011 to first quarter of 2015 were selected, being excluded companies with low stock liquidity. Initially, it was evaluated by analysis of descriptive statistics and the Wilcoxon test if the comprehensive income is more volatile than net income. This first research hypothesis was not refuted and found that for the companies in the sample, the volatility of comprehensive income was 30.84% higher than the volatility of net income, showing that an analysis focused exclusively on net income induce the accounting information user to ignore possible sources of firm risk. For the analysis of the relevance of comprehensive income and its components in risk explanation, regression analysis was done with panel data through eight estimated models, each with different explanatory variables and risk approaches, estimated by the volatility of stock returns (total risk) and market beta (systematic risk). The results showed that the relationship between the volatility of comprehensive income and the company\'s risk is greater than that observed between the volatility of net income and risk, but this relationship was not statistically significant. However, it was found that the volatility of the value related to other comprehensive income has negative and statistically significant relationship with its systematic risk. Gains and losses from cash flow hedges and financial assets classified as available for sale showed a negative and statistically significant relationship to the risk of the firm, which, according to previous studies, is due to the fact that unrealized results would be beyond the control of managers. The evidence presented in this study confirm the importance of the subject, providing inputs for discussions on accounting policies related to income and to the development of accounting metrics for risk assessment of companies.

A presente pesquisa objetivou verificar se medidas contábeis calculadas por meio do lucro abrangente e de seus componentes são relevantes na explicação do risco das empresas. Para isso, analisou-se amostra composta por 105 companhias brasileiras de capital aberto com ações negociadas na BM&FBovespa. Foram selecionadas empresas não financeiras com dados disponíveis no período compreendido entre o primeiro trimestre de 2011 e o primeiro de trimestre de 2015, sendo excluídas empresas com ações de baixa liquidez. Inicialmente, avaliou-se por meio de análise de estatísticas descritivas e do Teste de Wilcoxon se o lucro abrangente é mais volátil que o lucro líquido. Esta primeira hipótese de pesquisa não foi refutada e se constatou que, para as empresas que compõem a amostra estudada, a volatilidade do lucro abrangente foi 30,84% superior à volatilidade do lucro líquido, evidenciando que a análise focada única e exclusivamente no lucro líquido induziria o usuário da informação contábil a ignorar possíveis fontes de risco da empresa. Para a análise da relevância do lucro abrangente e de seus componentes na explicação do risco, foi feita análise de regressão com dados em painel por meio de oito modelos estimados, cada qual com diferentes variáveis explicativas e abordagens de risco, estimado por meio da volatilidade dos retornos das ações (risco total) e do beta de mercado (risco sistemático). Os resultados apresentados evidenciaram que a relação entre a volatilidade do lucro abrangente e o risco da empresa é superior àquela observada entre a volatilidade do lucro líquido e o risco, porém tal relação não se mostrou estatisticamente significante. Todavia, verificou-se que a volatilidade do valor referente a outros resultados abrangentes possui relação negativa e estatisticamente significante com seu risco sistemático. Ganhos e perdas com hedges de fluxo de caixa e com ativos financeiros classificados como disponíveis para venda apresentaram relação negativa e estatisticamente significante com o risco da empresa, o que, de acordo com estudos anteriores, deve-se ao fato de que resultados não realizados estariam além do controle dos gestores. As evidências apresentadas pelo presente estudo corroboram a importância do assunto, fornecendo insumos para discussões sobre políticas contábeis relacionadas ao lucro e para o desenvolvimento de métricas contábeis para a avaliação do risco das empresas. / This research aimed to verify if the comprehensive income and its components are relevant in explanation of the firm risk. Thus, it analyzed sample of 105 Brazilian public companies listed on the BM&FBovespa. Non-financial companies with available data from the first quarter of 2011 to first quarter of 2015 were selected, being excluded companies with low stock liquidity. Initially, it was evaluated by analysis of descriptive statistics and the Wilcoxon test if the comprehensive income is more volatile than net income. This first research hypothesis was not refuted and found that for the companies in the sample, the volatility of comprehensive income was 30.84% higher than the volatility of net income, showing that an analysis focused exclusively on net income induce the accounting information user to ignore possible sources of firm risk. For the analysis of the relevance of comprehensive income and its components in risk explanation, regression analysis was done with panel data through eight estimated models, each with different explanatory variables and risk approaches, estimated by the volatility of stock returns (total risk) and market beta (systematic risk). The results showed that the relationship between the volatility of comprehensive income and the company\'s risk is greater than that observed between the volatility of net income and risk, but this relationship was not statistically significant. However, it was found that the volatility of the value related to other comprehensive income has negative and statistically significant relationship with its systematic risk. Gains and losses from cash flow hedges and financial assets classified as available for sale showed a negative and statistically significant relationship to the risk of the firm, which, according to previous studies, is due to the fact that unrealized results would be beyond the control of managers. The evidence presented in this study confirm the importance of the subject, providing inputs for discussions on accounting policies related to income and to the development of accounting metrics for risk assessment of companies.