Macroeconomic trends: a brief statistical analysis of economic indicators for Ecuadorian credit unions

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to evaluate the financial relevance of the economic sector in the profitability of credit unions. Information from the financial statements of 105 credit unions out of a total of 451 credit unions registered as of 2022 in Ecuador was used. The methodology used involved descriptive and inferential statistical analysis. Normality tests and the Kruskal-Wallis hypothesis test were performed to determine statistical significance in relation to profitability. The results of the descriptive analysis indicated that the financial indicators, such as liquidity, portfolio turnover, indebtedness, and profitability, were favorable for the cooperatives. In the inferential analysis, the profitability indicators complied with the assumptions of normality. In addition, it was found that there were no significant differences between these indicators in relation to the economic sectors. In conclusion, the inferential analysis revealed that financial profitability, which is linked to the investments made, is similar among credit unions, regardless of the economic sector to which they belong.