How US wages effect post-socialist European stock markets: an empirical study

Abstract

Following the famous tapering speech of Bernanke on 2013, US non-farm payroll data became the leading indicator for the monetary policy of Fed. After midst of 2014 Fed shifted its attention to average hourly wage increases which was regarded as the determinant of inflation. As inflation is closely linked with possible increments of Fed funds rate, investors began to follow US wages more closely. We investigate the impact of US wages especially through concentrating on some Post-Socialist European stock markets. As US wages are found to Granger cause these stock exchanges, interestingly with domestic wages, a similar causation relation could not be achieved. This brings out the question whether wages are indeed an indicator for stock markets or not.