The Dynamic Relationship between Crude Oil Prices and Stock Market Price Volatility in Nigeria: A Cointegrated VAR-GARCH Model

This study investigates the dynamic relationship between crude oil prices and stock market price volatility in Nigeria using cointegrated Vector Generalized Autoregressive conditional Heteroskedasticity (VAR-GARCH) model. The study utilizes monthly data on the study variables from January 2006 to April 2017 and employs Dickey-Fuller Generalized least squares unit root test, simple linear regression model, unrestricted vector autoregressive model, Granger causality test and standard GARCH model as methods of analysis. Results shows that the study variables are integrated of order one, no long-run stable relationship was found to exist between crude oil prices and stock market prices in Nigeria. Both crude oil prices and stock market prices were found to have positive and significant impact on each other indicating that an increase in crude oil prices will increase stock market prices and vice versa. Both crude oil prices and stock market prices were found to have predictive information on one another in the long-run. A one-way causality ran from crude oil prices to stock market prices suggesting that crude oil prices determine stock prices and are a driven force in Nigerian stock market. Results of GARCH (1,1) models show high persistence of shocks in the conditional variance of both returns. The conditional volatility of stock market price log return was found to be stable and predictable while that of crude oil price log return was found to be unstable and unpredictable, although a dependable and dynamic relationship between crude oil prices and stock market prices was found to exist. The study provides some policy recommendations.