Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impacts of stock market and banking sectors development on a country’s efficiency in transforming its innovation input into output. Design/methodology/approach This study employs a generalized method-of-moments panel estimator to examine the role of stock market and banking development in influencing innovation efficiency. Findings Findings show that a country’s stock market development is positively related to its innovation efficiency ratio. Countries with more developed stock markets have relatively higher efficiency in transforming innovation input into innovation output than those with less developed stock markets. There is no evidence that innovation efficiency is influenced by banking sector development. However, when stock market and banking sectors are modeled together, while stock market development retains its positive influence, the findings indicate that banking sector exerts negative impact on innovation efficiency. Practical implications The findings provide useful insights to guide policy decisions for a country’s innovation agenda in enhancing its innovation performance. The findings imply that stock market development should be embraced as one of the key policy areas in order for a country to be more efficient in transforming its innovation input into innovation output. Originality/value This paper provides first evidence using data sourced from Global Innovation Index report, first available in 2007 and published by Cornell University, INSEAD and the World Intellectual Property Organization.

Covid-19 that emerged in Wuhan, China and spread to Malaysia starting from 25th January 2020 has changed people’s lives and impacted the world’s economy, including the stock markets. The study investigates the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the stock returns in Malaysia by using a sample of thirty (30) constituents of FBM KLCI. The study utilises Malaysia’s daily Covid-19 new cases, death cases, cumulative cases, and cumulative death cases, as well as Singapore new cases and death cases. The impact is observed from 31st December 2019 until 9th June 2020 using the panel regression model. The results show a significant positive but small impact of Covid-19 variables on the stocks’ returns except for Singapore daily cases and death cases, which were negative. The study also identifies that the Malaysian stock market is more sensitive to Covid-19 local death cases during the pandemic.

This study explores the behaviour of initial public offerings (IPOs) investors in the immediate aftermarket. Specifically, this study investigates the role of investors’ heterogeneity of opinion and IPO initial return in determining their flipping activities in Malaysia. The results from the first model show that both IPO initial return and heterogeneity of opinion have a significant positive effect on flipping activities. Furthermore, the effect of heterogeneity of opinion is more pronounced than IPO initial return, which drives us to conclude that the former is the main explanatory variable of investors’ flipping activities in the immediate first-day aftermarket. The results of the second model show that most flipping activities happen when the price range is at its highest level in the secondary market. Finally, the study concludes that investors’ flipping activities in the Malaysian IPO market are driven by quick and riskless capital gains.