IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bdu/ojijfa/v8y2023i2p71-84id2105.html

The Moderating Role of Treasury Bills and Bonds Allocations on the Relationship between Systematic Risk and Investment Portfolio Performance of Pension Schemes in Kenya

Author

Listed:
  • Karen Kandie

  • Dr. Joseph Macheru

  • Dr. Cliff Osoro

Abstract

Purpose: This study investigated the moderating role of Treasury Bills and Bonds allocation on the relationship between systematic risk and investment portfolio performance of pension schemes in Kenya. Assets under management by pension schemes make up 14.6% of the GDP in Kenya, making pension schemes significant players in the financial industry and the economy. As of December 2021, the pension industry had mobilised Kshs. 1,547.43 billion in managed pension assets from Kshs. 44.7 billion in 2000, a significant annual average growth rate of 21%. Methodology: The study used secondary data from 1,172 registered pension schemes for seven years between 2015 and 2021. Pension scheme data was collected from the database of the Retirement Benefits Authority. Systematic risk data was collected from the databases of the Central Bank of Kenya, Nairobi Securities Exchange and Kenya National Bureau of Statistics. Panel Regression analysis, fixed effect, random effect, and Hausman test were used to analyse the relationship between the dependent and independent variables. The study applied the Whisman and Maclleland two-step model to evaluate the impact of asset allocation on the investment portfolio performance of pension schemes as moderating variables. Findings: The study results showed that asset allocation to Treasury Bills and Bonds did not significantly moderate the effect of systematic risk on the investment portfolio performance of pension schemes. Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: The study contributed to academia by challenging the usefulness of Modern Portfolio Theory. Policymakers should consider reviewing the limits on investment in Treasury Bills and Bonds to less than 100% to encourage diversification to more asset classes. Practitioners are recommended to invest in diverse asset classes.

Suggested Citation

  • Karen Kandie & Dr. Joseph Macheru & Dr. Cliff Osoro, 2023. "The Moderating Role of Treasury Bills and Bonds Allocations on the Relationship between Systematic Risk and Investment Portfolio Performance of Pension Schemes in Kenya," International Journal of Finance and Accounting, IPRJB, vol. 8(2), pages 71-84.
    • Handle: RePEc:bdu:ojijfa:v:8:y:2023:i:2:p:71-84:id:2105
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://iprjb.org/journals/IJFA/article/view/2105
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. John A. Sandwick & Pablo Collazzo, 2021. "Modern portfolio theory with sharia: a comparative analysis," Journal of Asset Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 22(1), pages 30-42, February.
    2. Fama, Eugene F. & French, Kenneth R., 2007. "The capital asset pricing model: theory and evidence," RAE - Revista de Administração de Empresas, FGV-EAESP Escola de Administração de Empresas de São Paulo (Brazil), vol. 47(2), April.
    3. Robert Novy‐Marx & Joshua Rauh, 2011. "Public Pension Promises: How Big Are They and What Are They Worth?," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 66(4), pages 1211-1249, August.
    4. Tang, Mei-Ling & Chen, Son-Nan & Lai, Gene C. & Wu, Ting-Pin, 2018. "Asset allocation for a DC pension fund under stochastic interest rates and inflation-protected guarantee," Insurance: Mathematics and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 87-104.
    5. Boubaker, Sabri & Gounopoulos, Dimitrios & Nguyen, Duc Khuong & Paltalidis, Nikos, 2018. "Reprint of: Assessing the effects of unconventional monetary policy and low interest rates on pension fund risk incentives," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 92(C), pages 340-357.
    6. William F. Sharpe, 1964. "Capital Asset Prices: A Theory Of Market Equilibrium Under Conditions Of Risk," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 19(3), pages 425-442, September.
    7. Pablo Antolín & Fiona Stewart, 2009. "Private Pensions and Policy Responses to the Financial and Economic Crisis," OECD Working Papers on Insurance and Private Pensions 36, OECD Publishing.
    8. Rakesh Kumar Verma & Rohit Bansal, 2021. "Impact of macroeconomic variables on the performance of stock exchange: a systematic review," International Journal of Emerging Markets, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 16(7), pages 1291-1329, August.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Karen Kandie & Dr. Joseph Macheru & Dr. Cliff Osoro, 2023. "Systematic Risk and Investment Portfolio Performance of Pension Schemes in Kenya," International Journal of Finance and Accounting, IPRJB, vol. 8(2), pages 51-70.
    2. Albers, Christian & Lamprecht, Dirk, 2007. "Die Bewertung von Joint Ventures mit der Free Cash Flow-Methode unter besonderer Berücksichtigung kooperationsinterner Leistungsbeziehungen," Arbeitspapiere 65, University of Münster, Institute for Cooperatives.
    3. Xiang Lin & Martin Thomas Falk, 2022. "Nordic stock market performance of the travel and leisure industry during the first wave of Covid-19 pandemic," Tourism Economics, , vol. 28(5), pages 1240-1257, August.
    4. Mohamed Es-Sanoun & Jude Gohou & Mounir Benboubker, 2023. "Testing of Herd Behavior In african Stock Markets During COVID-19 Pandemic [Essai de vérification du comportement mimétique dans les marchés boursiers africains au cours de la crise de covid-19]," Post-Print hal-04144289, HAL.
    5. Jozef Baruník & Tobias Kley, 2019. "Quantile coherency: A general measure for dependence between cyclical economic variables," The Econometrics Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 22(2), pages 131-152.
    6. Smimou, K. & Abrokwah, M. & Drougas, A., 2025. "Corporate investment decisions and related commodities: International evidence from energy and mining industries," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 149(C).
    7. Guesmi, Khaled & Nguyen, Duc Khuong, 2011. "How strong is the global integration of emerging market regions? An empirical assessment," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 28(6), pages 2517-2527.
    8. Massimo Postiglione & Cristian Carini & Alberto Falini, 2024. "ESG and firm value: A hybrid literature review on cost of capital implications from Scopus database," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 31(6), pages 6457-6480, November.
    9. Stefan Lutz, 2012. "Effects of taxation on European multi-nationals’ financing and profits," Economics Discussion Paper Series 1214, Economics, The University of Manchester.
    10. Robin Maximilian Stetzka & Stefan Winter, 2023. "How rational is gambling?," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 37(4), pages 1432-1488, September.
    11. Ali Habibnia & Esfandiar Maasoumi, 2021. "Forecasting in Big Data Environments: An Adaptable and Automated Shrinkage Estimation of Neural Networks (AAShNet)," Journal of Quantitative Economics, Springer;The Indian Econometric Society (TIES), vol. 19(1), pages 363-381, December.
    12. Pesaran, M. Hashem & Yamagata, Takashi, 2012. "Testing CAPM with a Large Number of Assets," IZA Discussion Papers 6469, IZA Network @ LISER.
    13. repec:bdu:ojijfa:v:1:y:2016:i:1:p:108-123:id:122 is not listed on IDEAS
    14. Janette Larney & Arno Botha & Gerrit Lodewicus Grobler & Helgard Raubenheimer, 2025. "A cost of capital approach to determining the LGD discount rate," Papers 2503.23992, arXiv.org.
    15. Davit Gondauri, 2026. "P vs NP Problem in Portfolio Optimization: Integrating the Markowitz-CAPM Framework with Cardinality Constraints and Black-Scholes Derivative Pricing," Papers 2603.15652, arXiv.org.
    16. Lindner, Thomas & Muellner, Jakob & Puck, Jonas, 2016. "Cost of Capital in an International Context: Institutional Distance, Quality, and Dynamics," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 22(3), pages 234-248.
    17. Hardeep Singh Mundi, 2023. "Risk neutral variances to compute expected returns using data from S&P BSE 100 firms—a replication study," Management Review Quarterly, Springer, vol. 73(1), pages 215-230, February.
    18. Devinaga RASIAH & Tay Lee YING & Sakiru Adebola SOLARIN, 2016. "Economic freedom index and stock returns in Malaysia," Theoretical and Applied Economics, Asociatia Generala a Economistilor din Romania / Editura Economica, vol. 0(1(606), S), pages 213-236, Spring.
    19. Turan G. Bali & Robert F. Engle & Yi Tang, 2017. "Dynamic Conditional Beta Is Alive and Well in the Cross Section of Daily Stock Returns," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 63(11), pages 3760-3779, November.
    20. Louis Logogye & Godfred Aawaar & Kwasi Poku, 2024. "Regional and global shock spillovers to Africa’s equity markets: evidence from the global financial crisis and COVID-19 pandemic," SN Business & Economics, Springer, vol. 4(12), pages 1-31, December.
    21. Paul F. Hark & Christoph Schneider, 2025. "Does the CAPM drive misvaluations in M&As?," Journal of Business Economics, Springer, vol. 95(2), pages 427-463, April.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bdu:ojijfa:v:8:y:2023:i:2:p:71-84:id:2105. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Chief Editor (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://iprjb.org/journals/IJFA/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.