Financial Integration of Emerging Markets: An Analysis of Latin America Versus South Asia Using Individual Stocks

Abstract

An analysis of financial integration for emerging financial markets is presented. The results indicate that for the sample of countries examined, Argentina, Chile, Mexico and Thailand's stock markets are financially integrated. Conclusions are reached by first identifying endogenous breaks in multiple stock return series and then constructing confidence intervals around these break dates. Further support is provided that identified breaks are due to integration by performing statistical analyses on the return series pre and post break. In general, the stocks in integrated countries become more correlated with world and industry indexes. Mean returns for these stocks decrease and become more aligned with the mean returns of their respective industry indexes. In cases where there is no supporting evidence for financial integration, the break dates correspond to currency crises or other events that caused a shift in the return series.