Presidential Election Postponement And Stock Price Volatility In Nigeria: A Behavioural Empirical Scrutiny

Abstract

The empirical work examined the effect of deferment of 2015 Nigerian presidential election on stock price volatility in Nigeria. Precisely, the researchers used ‘’All Share Price Index (ASI) and stock prices’’ as the study’s variables. The study utilized an estimation window of three trading days previous to the announcement, and three trading days after the announcement, conventional event study methodology was used. In order to evaluate the cumulative abnormal volatility (CAV) of stock returns, the study applied GARCH. The empirical findings revealed evidence of stock price volatility, as a result of postponement effect. The study therefore recommends that, strong institutional framework that guarantees political stability is necessary. Importantly, government and policy makers, particularly financial and capital market regulators should strengthen the regulatory and supervisory mechanisms to enhance the operations of the capital market towards progressive growth path.