International linkages of emerging market index futures, under the closure of underlying spot market – evidence from Indian Nifty futures

Abstract

PurposeThis study examines the dynamic linkages between the Indian Nifty index futures traded on the offshore Singapore Exchange (SGX) and US stock indices (DJIA, NASDAQ and S&P 500) under the closure of the spot market for Nifty futures.Design/methodology/approachWith high-frequency 5-min overlapping price data, the authors employ the Johansen cointegration test to investigate long-run relationships, the Granger causality test to assess short-run dynamics and the BEKK-GARCH model for volatility spillover investigation.FindingsThe empirical findings reveal that the SGX Nifty futures market is cointegrated with the US DJIA market. The US DJIA stock index strongly influences the price discovery of SGX Nifty futures and past innovations in the US markets strongly impact the current volatility of SGX Nifty futures.Practical implicationsFindings from this study have significant implications for market participants, particularly foreign investors and portfolio managers. These findings might be helpful for market participants to improve the prediction power of expected SGX Nifty futures price and volatility, especially under the closure of the spot market. Also, SGX market participants can take the significant role of the US market into account when formulating hedging and trading strategies with Indian Nifty futures. Besides, our findings have significant implications for policymakers in evaluating market stability.Originality/valueThis article adds to the very limited research on offshore or international stock index futures; it is the first study that empirically examines the international linkages of offshore SGX Nifty futures under the closure of its underlying spot market and also the driving force behind the linkages.