Money Supply and Stock Prices – A Case Study of Nigeria

Abstract
This study examined the relationship between money supply and stock prices, using E-view version 10. The empirical results of the Augmented Dickey Fuller (ADF) unit root test at 5 percent critical levels indicates that all the variables (M2 and MCAP) were not stationary at levels. However, all the variables became stationary after first differencing. Hence, the variables are of the same order of integration I (1). A cointegration test tells us that there exists a long run relationship between or among the variables and that they will not wander far apart away even though on the short run they exhibit random walk behavior. The Vector Error Correction test shows that Money supply (M2) has a significant relationship with market capitalization of the Nigerian stock exchange. The value of the Adjusted R-Squared of 0.726710 implies that Money supply (M2) explained about 72.67% systematic variations in the dependent variable (MCAP) over the observed years while the remaining 27.33% variations are explained by other determining variables outside the model. In order to further establish the relationship between money supply and stock market price, a granger causality test was carried out and it was established that there is a bi-directional causality between money supply and stock prices. The researcher therefore recommends that there should be collaboration among agencies of government in charge of money supply and stock exchange in order to make sure that sound policies are made to achieve the objective of government. Furthermore, that there should be a deliberate and concerted policy and effort to improve the Nigerian stock exchange market in line with other stock exchanges of the world, since stock prices cause money supply and vice versa.