Owing to the immense negative effects brought about by inflation on the economies globally, politicians and policymakers are preoccupied with finding ways of controlling inflation. This study, therefore, set out to find out how prices of petroleum products, namely; diesel, paraffin, and petrol, affect inflation in Malawi. It employs the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) model using time series data on inflation and prices of petroleum products collected from the Reserve Bank of Malawi (RBM) and Malawi Energy Regulatory Authority (MERA). The empirical findings show that the price of petrol, the price of diesel, and the price of paraffin have a statistically positive effect on inflation in Malawi, both in the short run and the long run. These findings imply that increases in the prices of these commodities will lead to increases in inflation both in the short run and the long run. The study, therefore, recommends that policymakers need to make sure that prices of petroleum products are kept as low as possible to control inflation in Malawi. This can take the form of ensuring the existence of huge foreign exchange reserves to be used to stabilize the foreign exchange market, to ensure that the Malawi Kwacha does not depreciate anyhow.

This study investigates the determinants of credit standards among commercial banks in the Philippines, a critical aspect of financial stability and monetary policy transmission. Utilizing data from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas' Senior Bank Loan Officers' Survey and macroeconomic indicators from 2009 to 2024, a stepwise multiple regression analysis was conducted on 640 observations. The objective was to identify significant regressors of both overall and specific credit standards. Findings reveal that inflation rate and past-due ratio (PDR) lead to significant tightening of credit standards, with PDR exerting the greatest influence. Conversely, GDP growth rate, capital adequacy ratio (CAR), and return on equity (ROE) lead to significant easing. Collateral requirements and loan covenants were identified as the most regressed specific credit standards. This research offers valuable insights into bank lending behavior, providing policymakers with empirical evidence for managing credit supply, mitigating financial risks, and ensuring banking system stability.

The study investigated how public funds promote maternal and child health indicators in Nigeria from 1978 to 2023. The study adopted a generalized method of moments (GMM) in the analysis. The empirical results revealed that health expenditure positively and significantly impacted maternal and child health in Nigeria. The study concluded and recommended that the government should focus on increasing allocation to the health sector year in and year out to improve maternal and child health rather than relying on international funding, as an increase in health expenditure reduces the maternal and child mortality rate in Nigeria.

We explore the bidirectional relationship between corporate social responsibility (CSR) and firm performance among non-financial firms in Nigeria from 2010 to 2022, addressing the financial trade-offs associated with CSR in an emerging market. Given mixed evidence on CSR’s impact on profitability and the limited research in resource-constrained environments, this study aims to clarify how CSR affects profitability, as measured by return on assets, and vice versa. Employing a simultaneous equation modeling framework, estimated via System Generalized Method of Moments (System GMM), the study addresses endogeneity and heterogeneity to produce robust results. Findings reveal a significant negative impact of CSR disclosure on profitability, implying that CSR may impose immediate costs on firms, reducing short-term returns. Furthermore, lower profitability drives firms to intensify CSR efforts, potentially as a strategic response to enhance reputation and stakeholder support. These results suggest that CSR engagement involves financial trade-offs, with firms balancing short-term costs against long-term reputational benefits, particularly relevant in contexts like Nigeria where CSR lacks regulatory backing. This study offers valuable insights into the CSR-profitability dynamics in an emerging market context, providing actionable information for managers, policymakers, and investors on navigating the complexities of CSR in financially constrained settings.

This study evaluates exchange rate dynamics between the Naira and global currencies, utilizing weekly data from 2008 to 2024. The exchange rates, NGN/USD, NGN/CAD, NGN/AUD, NGN/EUR, and NGN/JPY were analyzed to explore the impact of macroeconomic determinants such as interest rate differentials, market volatility, and inflation rate differentials on exchange rates. The study employed ARIMA regression, and the wavelength techniques. The results climax the nuanced interplay between global financial flows and local economic conditions in determining exchange rates of the Naira against global currencies. The result on inflation differential aligns with the purchasing power parity (PPP) theory, which suggests that currencies adjust to offset inflation disparities. The market volatility result partly implies that periods of heightened market turbulence tend to favor the EUR, driving up the demand for the Euro and subsequently appreciating its value against the Naira. This finding aligns with traditional financial theories that associate risk-aversion behavior with movements towards stronger, less volatile currencies during times of market stress. The results of the study validate the interest rate parity theory, which posits that higher interest rates in one country attract foreign capital, influencing exchange rate dynamics. The detail level estimates of the decomposition component of wavelet results underscore the relevance of micro-level factors and short-lived fluctuations that may be influenced by weekly market activities, speculative trading, or sudden external shocks. These findings imply that the dynamics of exchange rates are complex, with both prolonged patterns and transient oscillations influencing the currency's overall movement. So, a comprehensive understanding of exchange rate behavior requires consideration of both the broader macroeconomic environment and the micro-level, weekly variations that induce volatility in the currency markets. The research findings emphasize the importance of stable monetary policies to manage currency fluctuation risk. These findings have significant implications for policymakers, financial institutions, and investors in the context of managing exchange rate risk in volatile markets.