Asymmetric Volatility in the Nepalese Stock Market

Abstract

This paper investigates the asymmetric volatility behavior of the Nepalese stock market including spillover effects from the US and Indian equity markets. I modeled asymmetric volatility within a generalized autoregressive conditional heteroskdasticy framework using comprehensive data for the Nepal stock market index. The results reveal a very different asymmetry compared to the results in other international equity markets: positive shocks increase volatility by more than negative shocks. The results further suggest that uninformed investors play a significant role in the Nepalese stock market. The spillover effect from the Indian stock market to the Nepalese stock market is negative. Overall, I conclude that a “fear of missing out” (FOMO) of noise traders as well as the deployment of pump and dump schemes are inherent features of the Nepalese stock market. The findings are very useful to policy makers and investors alike.