An Inquiry into the Effect of the Interest Rate, Gold Price, and the Exchange Rate on Stock Exchange Index: Evidence from Nepal

This study examines the causal relationship between the Nepalese Stock Exchange (NEPSE) Index, the interest rate, gold price, and the USD exchange rate in Nepal. The monthly time series data from January 2006 to June 2018 are used. Time series properties of the data are diagnosed using the Ng-Perron unit root test and Johansen's cointegration test. Finally, the Granger causality test based on the Vector Error Correction Model (VECM) is used to find the direction of causation, and to model the short and long-run relationships between the variables. The findings suggest that there exists a feedback relationship between the NEPSE Index and the interest rate, and there exists a unidirectional causation from the gold price to both the exchange rate and the interest rate. There is also a unidirectional causation from the exchange rate to the NEPSE Index during the sample period. These findings have implications for government agencies, investors, researchers, stakeholders, and others interested in the topic.