This research examines Saudi Arabia's stock market performance from 1991 to 2021 while exploring the long-term and immediate effects of economic factors. The study employs Johansen cointegration tests alongside the Vector Error Correction Model (VECM) to analyse the influence of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), inflation, Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), trade balance and government expenditure on stock market performance. The research shows that macroeconomic variables affect market capitalisation results since GDP growth and trade openness lead to positive stock market performance; however, FDI and inflation create inconsistent effects. Results indicate the stock market maintains a long-term equilibrium between variables, leading to long-term correction of market deviations. The present study extends the discussion in the literature by offering a comprehensive and empirical analysis of the Saudi Equity Market as related to the economic diversification process, with a focus on the Saudi Arabia Vision 2030. This research calls for a solid and pro-active fiscal framework to stem inflation, attract good quality foreign capital and enhance the financial institutions. They are very useful in the formulation of strategic development plans that would foster long-term sustainable growth and increase investor confidence. The findings of this study are useful for policymakers, investors, and other analytical experts interested in the relationship between economic determinants and capital market returns, specifically within the context of Saudi Arabia, a young economy in the group of commodity-exporting countries. This study contributes original empirical evidence on the long- and short-run effects of macroeconomic indicators on stock market performance in Saudi Arabia. By applying the VECM approach across a 31-year period, it offers valuable insights for policymakers and investors in managing financial markets during economic diversification under Vision 2030.

This research aims to examine bank specific, market and regulatory determinants of leverage and capital structure based on a panel data of publicly listed Islamic banks in 12 countries over the peri-od 2008-2017. Apart from testing standard corporate finance parameters using both OLS and M-Estimators, this study adds several idiosyncratic and regulatory environment related determinants of leverage unique to Islamic banks. The significance of potential determinants is tested for market and book leverage as well as newly introduced ‘Islamic banking leverage’. Overall, the results show that Islamic banks with higher growth opportunities, tangibility, low profitability and low risk are likely to have a high leverage. Similarly, the findings suggest important role played by debt market conditions, share of investment accounts and regulatory environment in such decisions, providing an evidence of the significance of trade-off and pecking order theory in capital structure in Islamic banks. The results are more robust for market and Islamic banking leverage, rather than book leverage. The findings offer insights to regulators, standard setters and especially Islamic banks regarding parameters to strengthen their capital, enhance resilience and thus contribute to the stability of relevant financial. This paper is among the few extant studies that focus on listed Islamic banks and tests de-terminants based on stock market data.

The goal of the present study was to strategically analyze the value chain of the services based on cell phone in Iran’s capital market and to present solutions for its upgrade. Nowadays, due to focusing on the customer and his needs, services are of great significance to create value for the customers. On the other hand, given the growing trend of online users, the capital market’s future be-longs to the online business. This research was concerned with a strategic analysis of the aforesaid services value chain. By using SWOT method, the data related to the strengths, weaknesses and threats, as well as environmental opportunities, were collected through using two questionnaires and interviews with users, specialists, and experts in technical and regulatory domains. At the end, by using descriptive statistical methods of analysis, suggestions for upgrading every part of the chain have been presented. Regarding the analyses, the weakness in communication networks and the existing infrastructure for the purpose of information transfer could be regarded as the greatest barrier to the services; also, due to the substructure problems, sometimes the users could be faced with problems such as inaccessibility to the information and inability in conducting their transactions. However, it should be noted that the companies providing these services have been success-ful in presenting efficient software and useful information for their users, as well as giving them deep satisfaction. Given the existing high capacity in this competitive market and the growing number of online users, it is predicted that the capital market could have the potential to be greatly prosperous and serve as an appropriate market for newcomers’ activity.

The purpose of this study is to provide updated information and facts of the Malaysian audit market concentration and auditor workload. The global auditing services market is presently dominated by a group of four audit firms which known as Big 4; namely Deloitte, PriceWaterhouseCoopers, Ernst & Young and KPMG. The audit industry in Malaysia offers several exemptions, as observed that two of non-big 4 audit firms succeeded to make their place into the Malaysian top 4. The study examined the audit firms share based on the number of audits and included all Malaysian public listed companies from 2012 to 2016.The findings indicate that the Malaysian audit market falls into the category of loose oligopoly and dominated by 8 audit firms. It is noted that the market share of the Big 4 in Malaysia have been reduced over a five-year period 2012-2016, and these firms mainly focusing more on large or more established clients. The examination related to auditor workload suggests that there is a decreasing trend in the workload of individual audit partners; on average the Big 4 firms staffing ratio is lower as compared with non-big 4 which may indicate that Big 4 partners have less workload. The study is useful for policy makers and regulators to better analyze the audit market concentration and workload in Malaysia.

Dividend is the part of profits of a company, which is distributable among its shareholders according to the decision taken and resolution passed in the meeting of Board of Directors. Dividend policy plays an important role for maintaining good image of company in the capital market and in providing source of low cost finance for financing for the profitable future investment proposals. In the present study, an attempt has been made to evaluate the dividend policy adopted by some selected public and private sector banks in India during the period of study March 2006 to March 2015.

Banking deposit is the primary source of contributing to economy and it is important to understand what factors influence such deposits. In this paper, we present an empirical study to find the relationship between banking deposit and other important factors such as capital market, money market, commodity market, foreign exchange rates such as US dollar and Euro exchange rates to local currency (Rials). We gather the data over the period of 2010-2012 and using ordinary least square technique study different hypotheses. All t-student values are statistically meaningful when the level of significance is ten percent and some of the parameters are even meaningful when the level of significance is five percent. The results indicate that the rate of bank deposit is negatively associated with commodity market growth rate (-.001995), US dollar exchange rate (-0.004167), banking industry growth rate (-0.278826) and moving average (-0.940418). In addition, dependent variable is positively associated with Euro exchange growth rate (0.005676).