An Empirical Investigation of the Relationship between Financial Development and Merchandise Trade in Nigeria

Abstract This study examines the empirical relationship between financial development and merchandise trade in Nigeria using annual data from 1981 to 2014. The empirical analysis is also carried out on the disaggregated components of the trade, that is, merchandise export and import, for robust analysis. Estimation results based on error correction model show that there exists significant long run positive relationship between financial development and export in Nigeria over the period under study. There is need for government to therefore provide enabling environment for financial sector to thrive through sound macroeconomic policies for effective economic diversification through export.