This study investigates the dynamic relationship between exchange rate volatility and foreign private investment in Nigeria from 1980 to 2011. The rational for this study is the realization that a viable exchange rate regime that is stable and predictable presents rich vista for inflow of foreign investment. We employed the Error Correction Model (ECM) after a battery of preliminary investigations which include the Augmented Dickey Fuller (ADF) test for stationarity and the Engle and Granger two-step cointegration procedure. Our finding include among other things that; exchange rate volatility has a very weak effect on the inflow of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) to Nigeria, both in the long run and in the short run and that exchange rate volatility has a weak effect on foreign portfolio investment in the short run but a strong positive effect in the long run. Based on our findings, an array of recommendation were made, which include the need for policy makers to develop sound exchange rate management system in the country, inter alia.

Abstract

This study seeks to investigate the effect of presidential elections on investors" portfolio selection in Nigeria from 2003 to 2011. The regression analysis was used to identify the effects that election could have on stock prices in the country, while event study was applied to investigate the focused effects of election event on portfolio selection in the Nigerian stock exchange. Price index for high and medium capitalization stocks were used in the analysis. The study showed that there were low returns performance in the stock market during elections and that elections events have strong (generally) negative effects on abnormal returns for the selected companies in the Nigerian Stock Exchange. In addition, the study showed a negative relationship between the return and risk behaviour of selected companies and election announcement in Nigeria. It is recommended that government and relevant authorities should increase the surveillance of both the market and political system prior to the presidential election in order to curtail the instability during this period.