Sbia

Publications

Economic growth, financial development, urbanisation and electricity consumption nexus in UAEJournal articleRashid Sbia, Muhammad Shahbaz and Ilhan Ozturk, Economic Research-Ekonomska Istrazivanja, Volume 30, Issue 1, pp. 527-549, 2017

This study aims to explore the relationship between economic growth, urbanisation, financial development and electricity consumption in United Arab Emirates for the period 1975-2011. The ARDL bounds testing approach is employed to examine the long-run relationship between the variables in the presence of structural breaks. The VECM Granger causality is applied to investigate the direction of causal relationships between the variables. Our empirical exercise validated the cointegration between the series in the case of United Arab Emirates. Further, results reveal that an inverted U-shaped relationship is found between economic growth and electricity consumption. Financial development adds in electricity consumption. The relationship between urbanisation and electricity consumption is also an inverted U-shaped. This implies that urbanisation increases electricity consumption initially and, after a threshold level of urbanisation, electricity demand falls. The causality analysis finds feedback hypothesis between economic growth and electricity consumption, i.e. economic growth and electricity consumption are interdependent. The bidirectional causality is found between financial development and electricity consumption. Economic growth and urbanisation Granger cause each other. The feedback hypothesis is also found between urbanisation and financial development, financial development and economic growth, and the same is true for electricity consumption and urbanisation.

The Role of Information Communication Technology and Economic Growth in Recent Electricity Demand: Fresh Evidence from Combine Cointegration Approach in UAEJournal articleMuhammad Shahbaz, Ijaz Ur Rehman, Rashid Sbia and Helmi Hamdi, Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Volume 7, Issue 3, pp. 797-818, 2016

Abstract This paper investigates the relationship among information communication technology (ICT), economic growth, and electricity consumption in the case of the UAE. The study covers the period of 1975–2011. We have tested the unit root properties of the variables and applied the Bayer-Hanck combined cointegration approach for the long-term relationship. The innovative accounting approach is applied to test the robustness of the VECM Granger causality findings. Our empirical results confirm the existence of the cointegration between the series. We find that ICT increases electricity demand but electricity prices lower it. Income growth increases electricity consumption. The nonlinear relationship between ICT and electricity consumption is an inverted U-shaped. The causality results reveal that ICT and electricity price Granger cause electricity demand. The feedback effect exists between economic growth and electricity consumption. This paper provides new insights to policy makers in designing a comprehensive energy and ICT policy to sustain economic growth for long span of time, although the feedback effect between economic growth and electricity consumption encourages in continuing electricity supply policies.

Does Financial Development Induce Economic Growth in UAE? The Role of Capitalization and Foreign Direct InvestmentJournal articleRashid Sbia and Sahel Alrousan, International Journal of Economics and Financial Issues, Volume 6, Issue 2, pp. 703-710, 2016

This paper examines the association between financial progress and economic growth in the United Arab Emirates over the period 1975Q1-2012Q4. We have employed Bayer and Hanck (2013) combined non-cointegration to test the long run relationship. Our analysis revealed the existence of cointegration between financial development and economic growth. It also revealed that capitalization and foreign direct investment (FDI) stimulate economic growth. The findings suggest that proper use of FDI and financial policy redesign will sustain economic growth in long term

Gulf Cooperation Council Stock Returns and the Effect of Domestic Monetary Policy ShocksJournal articleRashid Sbia, Rashid Sbia, Helmi Hamdi, Bedri Kamil Onur Tas and Sahel Al Rousan, International Journal of Economics and Financial Issues, Volume 6, Issue 2, pp. 629-639, 2016

The aim of this paper is to analyze the effect of monetary policy on stock returns and stock return variability in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries namely; Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia (United Arab Emirates was excluded for non-availability of the data). The empirical results reveal that the impact of policy interest rates on stock markets varies among GCC countries. These results have an important policy implication for the single market project and monetary union between GCC countries

Gulf Cooperation Council Stock Returns and the Effect of Domestic Monetary Policy ShocksJournal articleRashid Sbia, Rashid Sbia, Helmi Hamdi, Bedri Kamil Onur Tas and Sahel Al Rousan, International Journal of Economics and Financial Issues, Volume 6, Issue 2, pp. 629-639, 2016

The aim of this paper is to analyze the effect of monetary policy on stock returns and stock return variability in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries namely; Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia (United Arab Emirates was excluded for non-availability of the data). The empirical results reveal that the impact of policy interest rates on stock markets varies among GCC countries. These results have an important policy implication for the single market project and monetary union between GCC countries

Does energy intensity contribute to CO2 emissions? A trivariate analysis in selected African countriesJournal articleMuhammad Shahbaz, Sakiru Adebola Solarin, Rashid Sbia and Sadia Bibi, Ecological Indicators, Volume 50, pp. 215-224, 2015

The present study investigates the dynamic relationship between energy intensity and CO2 emissions by incorporating economic growth in environment CO2 emissions function using data of Sub Saharan African countries. For this purpose, we applied panel cointegration to examine the long run relationship between the series. We employed the VECM Granger causality to test the direction of causality amid the variables. At panel level, our results validate the existence of cointegration among the series. The long run panel results show that energy intensity has positive and statistically significant impact on CO2 emissions. There is also positive and negative link of non-linear and linear terms of real GDP per capita with CO2 emissions supporting the presence of environmental Kuznets curve (EKC). The causality analysis reveals the bidirectional causality between economic growth and CO2 emissions while energy intensity Granger causes economic growth and hence CO2 emissions, while across the individual countries, the results differ. This paper opens up new insights for policy makers to design comprehensive economic, energy and environmental policy for sustainable long run economic growth. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Relationship between Banking Competition and Stability in Developing Countries: The Case of LibyaJournal articleHaytem Ahmed Troug and Rashid Sbia, International Journal of Economics and Financial Issues, Volume 5, Issue 3, pp. 772-779, 2015

In our paper, we examined the relationship between non-performing loans, as a measure of stability, and concentration, as a measure of competition, in the Libyan banking sector. We used aggregate quarterly data for the 15 commercial banks in the country during the period 2002-2013. A broad set of tests were conducted to measure the relationship between the two variables, and alternative robustness tests were conducted to verify our core finding that less competition in the banking sector leads to a more resilient banking sector. Thus, our results offer empirical support against the “competitionstability” theory and conform the “competition-fragility” literature. We conclude by recommending the need to inspect in more detail (on a bank by bank level) the relationship between competition and fragility in developing countries in general and in Libya in particular

Testing for the Presence of Asymmetric Information in the Oil Market: A Vector Autoregression ApproachJournal articleHaytem Ahmed Troug and Rashid Sbia, International Journal of Economics and Financial Issues, Volume 5, Issue 3, pp. 753-762, 2015

This paper aims at providing empirical support to claims made by officials in oil-producing countries that investors in the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) market are involved in the disruption of oil production in some Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries countries. The claims state that some investors in the NYSE are financing militias in those countries to close down oilfields and ports, and buy oil before this incident occurs. By doing so, they have access to information that no one else in the market has, and make profits from this information. Using a vector autoregression (VAR) model approach to detect this phenomenon, and being inspired by the asymmetric information theory, we fail to support those claims. We tried to put this theory under investigation by running test on three oil-disruption incidents that occurred in 2013, and all of the results turned out to be insignificant. Nevertheless, this approach was able to detect a period which might involve asymmetric information in the NYSE. In addition, using a VAR model enabled us to measure the duration and magnitude of the effect of a shock in volumes of trade on oil prices in that market.

Empirical Evidence on the Long-Run Money Demand Function in the Gulf Cooperation Council CountriesJournal articleHelmi Hamdi, Ali Said and Rashid Sbia, International Journal of Economics and Financial Issues, Volume 5, Issue 2, pp. 603-612, 2015

The broad aim of this paper is to estimate the money demand function for the case of six Gulf Cooperation Council countries. By applying panel cointegration tests, the empirical results reveal strong evidence of cointegration between the variables of the model for individual countries as well as for the panel. Moreover, the results support the existence of a stable money function in the long-run estimation. The Granger non-causality test due to Toda and Yamamoto (1995) procedure shows evidence of a bidirectional causal relationship between money demand and income for panel estimation. At an individual level, the results change from one country to another one.

The effect of urbanization, affluence and trade openness on energy consumption: A time series analysis in MalaysiaJournal articleMuhammad Shahbaz, Nanthakumar Loganathan, Rashid Sbia and Talat Afza, Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Volume 47, Issue C, pp. 683-693, 2015

This paper investigates the impact of urbanization on energy consumption by applying the Stochastic Impacts by Regression on Population, Affluence and Technology (STIRPAT) in case of Malaysia. The study covers the time period of 1970Q1–2011Q4. The unit root test and the ARDL bounds testing approach have been applied to examine integrating properties and long run relationship in the presence of structural breaks. Our results validated the existence of cointegration and exposed that urbanization is a major contributor in energy consumption. Affluence raises energy demand. Capital stock boosts energy consumption. Trade openness leads to affluence and hence increases energy consumption. The causality analysis finds that urbanization Granger causes energy consumption. The feedback effect is found between energy consumption and affluence and, energy consumption and capital. The bidirectional causality exists between trade openness and energy consumption.