Monetary Expansion and Stock Returns in Pakistan

The objective of the paper is to examine the causal relationship between money supply and stock prices in Pakistan. Two measures of money stocks (M1 and M2) and six stock price indices (general and five sectors) were taken for the period June 1991 to June 1999. The co-integration analysis indicates a long run relationship between stock prices and money supply for both M1 and M2. The Error Correction Model, on the other hand, does not endorse the long run relationship between stock prices and M1. Regarding long run relationship between stock prices and M2, the model suggests a unidirectional causality running from M2 to stock prices. The model also shows the evidence of short run effects of M2 on stock prices. The analysis suggests that the stock market is not efficient with respect to money supply.