Sensitivity of stock indices to global events: the perspective for Pakistani Canadians

Purpose - This paper compares the performance and volatility of the Toronto Stock Exchange in Canada and the Karachi Stock Exchange in Pakistan, as well as the sensitivities of the two stock exchanges to major global events. The purpose of this paper is to assist the Pakistani immigrants in Canada in their investment decisions. Design/methodology/approach - This paper uses the generalized autoregressive conditional heteroskedasticity model to estimate volatility of the two stock exchanges. Moreover, the mean adjusted returns approach associated with the event study methodology is used to find out the impact of major global events on these stock exchanges. Findings - The study finds that the Toronto Stock Exchange outperforms the Karachi Stock Exchange in the pre-September 11 attack period, while the latter outperforms the former in the post-September 11 attack period. The study also shows that there has been a significant improvement in the risk-adjusted return of the Karachi Stock Exchange in the post-September 11 attack period. Moreover, this paper finds that the impact of major global events is more significant on the Toronto Stock Exchange relative to the Karachi Stock Exchange on the event date. Originality/value - This paper is one of the very few to analyze and compare stock performances from the perspective of immigrant communities. The paper is valuable for Pakistani immigrants living in Canada or any investors interested in Karachi Stock Exchange and its comparison with Toronto Stock Exchange. Moreover, the paper can be of value to the Pakistani Government in terms of their promotional activities.