Determinants of stock market development and price volatility in ASEAN plus three countries: The role of institutional quality

The present study investigates the determinants of stock market development and price volatility in a sample of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) plus three countries. More specifically, the study explores the role of institutional quality indicators on stock market development and volatility. To achieve the objectives of the study, we use annual data from 1991 to 2014 and employ panel cointegration test, fully modified ordinary least square method, and heterogeneous noncausality test. Our empirical findings confirm the significant long-run relationship among the variables. Similarly, our results of long-run elasticities on stock market development and volatility indicate that the institutional freedom indicators such as regulation, size of the government, sound money, and trade freedom have significant positive effect on stock market development, and these indicators, along with legal system, have substantial negative impact on stock price volatility. We also find significant short-run causalities of stock market development and price volatility with the macroeconomic variables. Given these results, our study suggests that the institutional freedom indicators not only promote stock market development, but they also effectively reduce stock price volatility in ASEAN plus three countries.