Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange Research Articles

The Dissimilar Market Volatility in Neighboring Financial Markets: An Empirical Study Using A Multivariate Garch Model

ABSTRACT: Conventional knowledge of market volatility represents that two proximate financial markets operated in the same country would display a similar pattern in their time-varying volatility. In this paper, we propose that the heterogeneity in financial policy orientation of stock markets creates significant inter-market differences in terms of the volatility of stock returns, even if they are culturally and geographically linked to each other. For the empirical investigation of our proposition, the volatility data from two major stock exchanges in the Middle East, the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX) and the Dubai Financial Market (DFM) are used. Both the ADX and DFM stock exchanges operate in the same country, the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The ADX is based in Abu Dhabi, the administrative capital, while the DFM is based in Dubai, the commercial and business hub of the UAE. They were both established in the year 2000, and their operational headquarters are located about 150 km from each other. This paper uses a multivariate GARCH model, in particular a diagonal VECH GARCH (1, 1) model to estimate volatility measures for stock returns between ADX-listed and DFM-listed stocks. The paper finds that the stock returns are significantly less volatile in the ADX compared to those in the DFM suggesting that the volatility transmission is incomplete between these two neighboring financial markets. This difference in volatility can potentially be attributed to the relatively conservative financial policies adopted by the oil-rich emirate of Abu Dhabi compared to the more market-oriented economic policies of Dubai, the country’s financial and commercial hub. Our findings have considerable implications for portfolio managers in ascertaining risk premiums when allocating investments across the two stock exchanges. For instance, this disparity in volatility should be taken into account by investors and policymakers when designing risk management strategies because it suggests that investors in the DFM may be exposed to higher levels of risk and uncertainty compared to their counterparts in the ADX. Investors operating in the DFM may require more robust risk management strategies, such as asset diversification and hedging, compared to their ASX counterparts.

Performance analysis of a blockchain process modeling: Application of distributed ledger technology in trading, clearing and settlement processes

This study aims to assess the extent to which blockchain technology (BCT) may constitute an alternative to the conventional stock trading system and emphasize the changing roles of the key parties. It is expected that BCT would enhance the performance of the process across the three stages (i.e. trading, clearing and settlement within the stock exchange environment). A thorough literature review is conducted to understand the BCT performance modeling techniques and approaches (empirical and analytical) and to examine the theoretical potentials and capabilities of BCT in the financial markets. The case study and simulation methods are used to evaluate the impact of BCT implementation in optimizing the process of trading, clearing and settlement in Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX) stock-trading activities. This paper presents a simulation analysis comparing a blockchain system with a traditional trading system in the context of stock market. The simulation procedures involve modeling processes over different durations and transaction volumes, using metrics such as process time and cycle time to evaluate performance. The performance index combines these metrics with weights to ensure accurate and consistent measurements. Simulation results reveal that the blockchain system significantly outperforms the current trading system, especially at higher transaction volumes, highlighting its scalability and efficiency. A threshold of 30,000 transactions is identified as the point where blockchain’s benefits become apparent. The analysis shows that blockchain significantly elevate the process efficiency. It reduces both cycle time and process time across varying transaction volumes, maintaining consistency and reliability. Additionally, a simple simulation using the Hyperledger Fabric platform demonstrates the practical implementation of a permissioned blockchain for clearing transactions, emphasizing the system's capability to manage high transaction volumes efficiently and securely. The use of blockchain network for handling seamless transactions using pre-defined smart contracts significantly improves the performance of the stock trading processes, specifically in the clearing phase. Interestingly, the BCT system drops the need for a “third party” (i.e. stock custodian) across the three stages. At the end of the paper, we propose a thereat mitigating model for stock trading with a new blockchain system.

The effect of financial risks on the performance of Islamic and commercial banks in UAE

Risk management has emerged as a critical element across several economic sectors, with particular significance in the banking industry. The governing bodies of these industries encounter a multitude of threats stemming from the escalation of an unpredictable economic environment, the intricacy of transactions and big data, and several other concealed factors. The primary aim of the present research is to investigate the impact of certain financial risks, including capital risk, liquidity risk, and operational risk, on the financial performance of both commercial and Islamic banks operating within the banking sector of the United Arab Emirates. The study will focus on the time frame spanning from 2015 to 2022. The data used in this study was sourced from the annual reports of banks, which were acquired from the official websites of the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange and the Dubai stock market. The most prevalent indicators used to assess a bank's financial performance are Return on Assets (ROA) and Return on Equity (ROE). In contrast, the financial risk metrics included three distinct categories of risk: capital risk, liquidity risk, and operational risk. The findings indicate that there is a statistically significant positive relationship between capital risk and both return on assets (ROA) and return on equity (ROE). However, it was observed that neither liquidity risk nor operational risk had a statistically significant impact on either of the financial performance metrics. Moreover, the size of a bank has a notable and favorable impact on both return on assets (ROA) and return on equity (ROE). The ramifications of the study's conclusions have significant importance for regulators, bank management, and investors. IPolicymakers need to prioritize the enhancement of the regulatory framework pertaining to caboutements in order to the financial stability of banks. Bank managers should give priority to the management of capital risk and the size of the bank in order to their financial performance. In order to optimize profits, it is important for investors to carefully evaluate and take into account the many risk considerations associated with their investment selections.JEL:G20, G21

Does XBRL adoption eliminate misclassification of income statement items?

PurposeThe financial world of today is evolving at a rate that can be challenging to keep up with and comprehend due to developments in information and communication technology. When compared to a conventional disclosure, the eXtensible Business Reporting Language (XBRL), which was named one of the top ten accounting technologies, has a clear advantage in reducing information asymmetry by providing interactive data disclosure. This study aims to examine whether forcing companies to adopt XBRL would cause them to prefer misclassifying income statement items as an alternative to more risky earnings management methods.Design/methodology/approachThe study sample includes nonfinancial UAE companies listed on Dubai Financial Market and Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange from 2012 to 2019. Fixed effect and system General Method of Moments regressions were used to analyze the study data.FindingsThe study found that XBRL reporting resulted in lowering the quality of financial reporting as companies have a higher tendency to misclassify income statement items as earnings management mechanism.Practical implicationsThe findings of this research can be used by stakeholders and practitioners in the UAE to better understand whether the use of XBRL is linked to the engagement of financial reporting manipulative practices. The findings of this study also inform policymakers and regulators about the consequences of companies formally adopting digital disclosure language in an effort to improve the quality of their reporting. Besides, the results offer guidance to regulators considering imposing XBRL usage regulations.Originality/valueLimited number of studies have tested the association between XBRL mandatory adoption and misclassification of income statement items as an earnings management tool in the Gulf Cooperation Council region.

Impact of Financial Technology on Improvement of Banks’ Financial Performance

This study investigates the main financial technologies adopted by banks to improve their financial performance. The study population consists of commercial banks listed on the Amman Stock Exchange and Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange, and includes financial information and data from 2012 to 2020. A total of 115 questionnaires, consisting of five questionnaires for each bank, were distributed to the study population in Jordan and the United Arab Emirates. The dependent variable is financial performance, while the independent variable is financial technology (FinTech). Multiple linear regression analysis was conducted to test the hypotheses. The results showed that FinTech has a positive effect on both total deposit and net profits. This study recommends that banks be encouraged to adopt inclusive strategies to attain sustainable development.

The interaction effect of auditor industry specialisation and board governance on financial reporting timeliness: evidence from the UAE

PurposeThis study investigates how the timeliness of financial reporting by listed companies in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is influenced by the interaction effect between industry-specialist auditors and board governance.Design/methodology/approachThe Emirati capital markets – the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX) and the Dubai Financial Market (DFM) – were used to obtain the data, which covered the seven-year period between 2011 and 2017. In total, 385 observations were obtained. Descriptive statistics and multiple regression were the principal statistical tests employed using the panel data method.FindingsThe results of the direct effect tests reveal that board independence and industry-specialist auditors have no significant influence on financial reporting timeliness. Nevertheless, the results also show that the timeliness of financial reporting by listed companies in the UAE is influenced by the interaction effect between auditors' industry specialisation and the governance of firm boards. More specifically, the results reveal that financial reporting timeliness is positively associated with board independence for companies audited by industry-specialist auditors. This finding is consistent with the notion that industry-specialist auditors complement the role of effective board governance.Research limitations/implicationsThis study only focuses on secondary data from non-financial companies listed in the UAE markets. Therefore, the outcomes may not be generalisable to sectors related to finance. Future researchers are recommended to examine financial sectors and apply alternative measurements such as surveys or interviews with directorial boards and external auditors. Furthermore, this study used only one measure of industry-specialist auditors, while board governance was limited to board independence. Future studies could utilise different measurements for industry-specialist auditors and more board governance measures to obtain more robust findings.Practical implicationsThe evidence provided indicates that when a company listed in the UAE has a high-quality board, it benefits by engaging auditors who specialise in the industry in terms of improving the timeliness of financial reporting. The findings also indicate the need for closer monitoring of management to safeguard their reputation. This might attract the attention of the Big Four audit firms and industry–specialist auditors to continuously re-evaluate their audit work, professional training and staff skills, while they might also try to differentiate their performance and monitoring capabilities from the non-Big Four audit firms and non-industry specialist auditors.Originality/valueThe main contribution of this study to the overall body of research is the concept that having independent directors is associated with improved reporting timeliness because financial reports are monitored with greater efficiency by industry–specialist auditors. This study provides evidence for the interaction effect between internal and external governance mechanisms on financial reporting quality, which has not been the focus of prior studies on financial reporting quality.

Success Factors of PMO Implementation for UAE Project-Based Organizations

In current competitive market, organisations strive not only to complete projects on time, but also to ensure stakeholder satisfaction. Creating a separate body or department for project management within an organisation is frequently motivated by a desire to improve project management and reduce projects that fall short of customers' and stakeholders' expectations due to budget overruns or intolerable delays. Thus, Project management Office (PMO) practises are becoming more popular around the world to support project management activities. Hence, this paper presents a qualitative approach by interviewing twenty experienced personnel who had worked with PMO for several years. The experts were from four organisation namely Masdar Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company, Al Mansouri 3B Group, Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX), and Gulf Falcon Company (GFC). These open interview sessions were to discover the success factors in implementing PMO in UAE organisation. The results of the interview found that there are six key factors affecting the effective implementation of the PMO which are project flexibility; politics and change resistance in stakeholders; alignment and accountability; efficient resources; risk management; effective leadership and team management. Project flexibility, as well as effective leadership and team management, are cited as the most critical factors by all respondents. The paper also incorporates an effective PMO framework which suggests various strategic measures to implement in five phases of the project lifecycle: initiation, planning, execution, monitoring and controlling, closing, and post-implementation reviewing.

How do external auditor attributes impact corporate social responsibility disclosures: empirical evidence from ADX-listed companies

PurposeThis paper aims to highlight the relationship between the attributes of external auditor companies and voluntary corporate social responsibility (CSR) disclosures of audited firms using a sample of Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX)-listed companies.Design/methodology/approachBased on a sample of 410 firm-year observations for the period 2010–2016, this study first computes an eight-item CSR disclosure index, then ran a multivariate regression analysis between CSR disclosure scores and external auditor attributes, along with client firm characteristics and additional control variables. Finally, this paper performs various additional robustness checks.FindingsThe results reveal that external auditor attributes have a significant impact on shaping the CSR disclosures of ADX-listed firms. Overall, auditor age, size, industry specialisation and portfolio diversification positively affect the level of customers’ CSR disclosures. By contrast, the magnitude of audit fees and auditor experience in the UAE has no impact on the CSR disclosures of ADX-listed firms. This study controls for client firm size, financial leverage, ownership concentration and the proportion of independent directors on companies’ board of directors. The results remain robust to additional sensitivity checks such as audit company CSR practices, extreme quartiles of CSR disclosures and the panel data estimation method.Research limitations/implicationsThe research exhibits some limitations. First, this paper uses a simple index to measure CSR disclosures based on previous empirical studies, especially those related to emergent markets, which are not free from bias due to the lack of voluntary disclosure transparency for some companies listed on ADX. Second, although this study uses a seven-year observation period, the total number of observations remains limited due to ADX size. Third, other context-specific disclosures should be included such as cultural and governance variables (royal families ownership).Practical implicationsThe study highlights the role of external attributes that can affect companies’ CSR disclosure policy, rather than firm-specific factors. The study also reshapes the concept of auditor quality beyond the dichotomy (“Big Four”/non-Big Four) used in the current literature.Originality/valueThe research adds to the current literature on CSR by revealing the impact of external auditor attributes on client firm CSR disclosure policy in an emerging market, the ADX.

Determinants of corporate performance: Empirical evidence from the insurance companies listed on Abu Dhabi securities exchange (ADX)

The purpose of this study is to identify factors that impact the performances of the insurance companies listed on ADX. Factors employed in this study include liquidity, general and administration expenses, risk, size, tangibility and age. The annual financial statements of all seventeen insurance companies listed on ADX covering the period 2013-2019 were sampled and analyzed through a panel regression. The analysis indicates that corporate age is the most significant positive factor that determine the profitability of the insurance companies listed on ADX. The durability of the insurance company in the GCC countries suggests that the firm has created good image, attract more customers, increased revenues to cover expenses and make profit. Thus, age is an important positive factor of the performance of insurance companies listed on ADX. Moreover, it is obvious that dissatisfied customer with the service of an insurance company will not only cease dealing with it, they deliver bad news about it by using the word of mouth and the powerful social media that play efficient role in formulating the image about the company. The outcome of this study might help investors in formulating their decision to invest in an insurance company. For instance, it helps them to focus on the age of the insurance company before they make their decision.

Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on the Stock Prices Across Industries: Evidence from the UAE

The aim of this paper is to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the stock prices of the companies traded on the UAE financial markets (Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange and Dubai Financial Market). The time series regressions have been applied to estimate the impact of COVID-19 data on the companies' stock prices movements. The data cover the period between January 29th, 2020, and January 5th, 2021. The data was collected from the website of the Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Centre of the UAE. The empirical results of this study show that the stock prices are negatively and significantly affected by the number of COVID-19 positive cases and the number of death while they are positively and significantly affected by the number of recoveries. The results vary from one industry to another. These results would be important to the policymakers and financial regulators in developing the needed policies to improve the stock markets' resilience and maintain financial and economic stability. In addition, the findings would be useful to the investors and portfolio managers in taking the most appropriate investment decisions and managing more efficiently their portfolios. This paper will shed light on the responsiveness of the UAE financial market to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Impact of corporate performance on stock price predictions in the UAE markets: Neuro‐fuzzy model

SummaryPredicting stock price remains one of the challenges for investors' investment strategies. This study helps with accurate prediction and the main factors affecting variations in stock prices. It applies an adaptive neuro‐fuzzy model on 58 listed firms from both the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange and the Dubai Financial Market for the period 2014–2018 to estimate the predictive power of corporate performance measures and their significance. After examining four performance predictors—return on asset (ROA), return on equity (ROE), earning per share (EPS), and profit margin (PM)—the study finds that ROE is the most significant predictor and ROA is the least. EPS is the most influential profitability measure and PM the least.

Does anti-corruption disclosure affect banking performance?

PurposeThis paper aims to test the levels of anti-corruption disclosure and its implication on the banking performance of both conventional and Islamic banks listed on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange and Dubai Financial Market.Design/methodology/approachThe authors have used the content analysis to identify the levels of anti-corruption disclosure in the banks’ annual reports. They have also used the two-steps generalized method of moments (GMM) regression applied to dynamic panel data analysis to examine the effect of the anti-corruption disclosure on the banking performance.FindingsThe empirical results show that the anti-corruption disclosure is at low levels for all banks and conventional and Islamic banks samples. The results also show no significant differences in the anti-corruption disclosure between Islamic and conventional banks. The results of the two-steps GMM regression applied to dynamic panel data analysis show a negative and significant impact of the levels of anti-corruption disclosure on the bank’s performance for both all banks and conventional banks; the results of the dynamic panel data analysis show an insignificant impact of anti-corruption discloser for the Islamic banks' sample.Practical implicationsThe findings recommended a comprehensive framework of anti-corruption disclosure to the central banks and financial market regulators to enhance anti-corruption practices within the financial institutions to increase transparency and enhance their performance.Originality/valueFighting against anti-corruption is essential for financial institutions. This paper is the first study that examined the extent of anti-corruption levels and their effect on banking performance for both Islamic and conventional banks operates in the UAE. The findings help in enhancing reporting practices in terms of anti-corruption to improve transparency and performance in the banking sector.

The impact of board independence and foreign ownership on financial and social performance of firms: evidence from the UAE

PurposeThis study examines the impact of two different types of foreign ownership—by Arab and non-Arab investors on firms' financial and social performance. It then goes on to investigate how the degree of board independence affects the aforementioned relationship between these two types of foreign investors on firm performance.Design/methodology/approachThe sample for the study is a panel of all listed firms in the Dubai Financial Market (DFM) and the Abu Dhabi Securities exchange (ADX) from 2008 to 2012.FindingsResults indicate that while Arab foreign ownership affects firms' financial and social performance negatively, non-Arab foreign ownership does so, positively. Further tests indicate that board independence weakens the negative relationship between firm financial and social performance with foreign Arab ownership and deteriorate the relationship between firm financial and social performance and non-Arab foreign ownership.Research limitations/implicationsFuture studies may extend the coverage of the study by including other countries in the region and other identities of the foreign investors.Practical implicationsThis study may help policy makers in the UAE to improve the implementation and enforcement of existing regulations concerning corporate social responsibility (CSR) and board independence. It also highlights the need to look into the monitoring role of independent board members.Originality/valueThis is the first study to examine the role of board independence on the relationship between foreign ownership and firm's financial and social performance. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first paper that attempts to enrich the understanding of foreign ownership by classifying it into Arab versus non-Arab.

Macroeconomic Sensitivity, Risk-Return Trade-Off and Volatility Dynamics Evidence From Developed and Developing Markets

This study aims to examine the impact of macroeconomic factors on the stock return volatility along with the pricing of risk, and asymmetry and leverage effect on a comparative basis for the USA and UAE markets. Further, these three dimensions are also investigated with regard to various firm's features (such as firm's size and age). The daily data for the period 4th January 2010 to 29th December 2017 of firm stock returns from the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADSE), and the Dubai Financial Market (DFM) is considered and three time-series models were applied. The results from GARCH (1. 1) indicated that all the economic factors have significant impact on the stock return volatility in both the markets. Similarly, the study also found evidence of asymmetry & leverage effect using EGARCH in the NYSE (for all firms) and the UAE (partially). Finally, for a majority of the firms, a positive risk-return relationship is found in the UAE and a negative risk-return relationship is found in the NYSE using GARCH-in the mean. Interestingly, these results in context of both markets were different with respect to various firm features such as firm size and age. In light of these results, it is concluded that both the markets have different dynamics with regard to all three dimensions. Hence, the investors have a clear opportunity to diversify their risk and investments across developed and emerging markets.

Timeliness of financial reporting and audit committee effectiveness: evidence from UAE

ABSTRACT
 Purpose – This study aims to examine the contemporary timeliness of financial reporting in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and the impact of audit committee effectiveness on this timeliness.
 Design/Methodology/Approach – Timeliness of financial reporting in this study is measured by audit report lag (ARL), which is the number of days between the date of the financial year end and the date of the audit report. The data from listed companies on the UAE capital markets; Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX) and Dubai Financial Market (DFM), for three years from 2011 to 2013 resulted in 298 observations. The main statistical techniques of the study are means and multiple regressions.
 Findings – The findings show that generally all companies meet the submission deadlines imposed by the two UAE markets. Furthermore, ARL is influenced by audit committee size and profitability, while no evidence is found to support the effect of audit committee expertise, audit committee meetings and firm size on ARL.
 Practical Implications – The results of the study show that only audit committee size has a significant influence in reducing ARL. This may be attributed to having minimal variation in the implementation of the Code of Corporate Governance (CCG), particularly audit committee attributes, in the UAE. The results suggest that the current governance by audit committees is adequate to ensure that the financial reports of companies in the UAE are timely. However, except for audit committee size, the other audit committee attributes are unable to further shorten ARL.
 
 Originality/Value –The capital markets in the UAE and its CCG are relatively new. Hence, regulatory requirements may be less stringently implemented by companies in this country. Consequently, timely audited financial reports are demanded by local and international investors to make decisions and alleviate speculation. Thus, determining audit committee attributes that reduce ARL is beneficial to the UAE markets, the listed companies and investors. 
 
 Keywords Audit report lag (ARL), Financial reporting timeliness, Audit committee, UAE
 Paper Type: Research paper

The role of corporate governance strength in crisis and non-crisis times

ABSTRACTThis study evaluates corporate governance practices of listed firms in the United Arab Emirates and investigates whether corporate governance mitigates/exacerbates the impact of leverage and risk on firm performance during crisis and non-crisis times. The study constructs a corporate governance index not only to examine the dispute of the role of corporate governance during the crisis but also its influence on other factors that fuelled the crisis. A firm-level panel data is used that spans the period 2008–2012 of all listed firms on Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX) and Dubai Financial Market (DFM). The study finds a positive influence of corporate governance strength on the accounting performance, but a negative influence on the firms’ economic performance. In normal times, corporate governance mitigates the negative influence of leverage and risk on the accounting and economic firm performance. However, this synergy effect varies across performance indicators during crisis.

The factors influencing the decision to list on Abu Dhabi securities exchange

The Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange is established to fund corporates, investments and economic growth. However, many companies operating in Abu Dhabi do not take the opportunity and list in the market. In this paper we survey a sample 145 chief executive officers and deputies of the CEO’s in order to explain why firms refrain from going public and float their equity in the market. Our findings indicate that the poor quality of the Abu Dhabi equity market in terms of its inefficiency and inadequate liquidity plays a crucial role in discouraging firms to list in the market. Moreover, management do not list in order to avoid dilution of ownership as well as to retain control of the company. Finally, we find that knowledgeable managers in big companies are more likely to list in the market particularly when they operate in a competitive industry.

The determinants of corporate voluntary disclosure policy

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to identify the factors affecting firm voluntary disclosure policy adopted by a sample of 25 UAE companies listed on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX) for the period 2010-2014.Design/methodology/approachThe author computes a weighted disclosure index (Botosan, 1997) for three-factor voluntary disclosure items and uses a multivariate regression analysis between disclosure index and a set of explanatory variables identified by previous research. The author also controls for endogeneity problem and uses panel data estimation.FindingsIt has been found that listing history, governmental sector, firm profitability and foreign listing positively affect the level of voluntary disclosure adopted by ADX listed companies. By contrast, the percentage of shares owned by block holders and industrial sector negatively affect the level of voluntary disclosure by ADX listed companies. Finally, the board and firm size, managers’ stock options and the leverage ratio do not have any impact on the level of voluntary disclosure adopted by ADX firms. The results remain unchanged to additional sensitivity checks.Research limitations/implicationsThe research presents some limitations: first, the author does not take into account all voluntary disclosure items such as human resources and environmental data disclosed by ADX listed firms. Second, other voluntary disclosure determinants remain unexplored for UAE firms such as culture and tax incentives in the light of the new tax rules including corporate tax and value-added tax.Practical implicationsThe study has many implications: first, it can help investors in their decision making and lead to fair allocation of resources. Second, it gives helpful directives to UAE accounting authorities to enhance the quality of financial reporting in the light of the New Commercial Company Law 2015 for mandatory adoption of IFRS by all listed companies. The paper also presents helpful directives for tax authorities planning for both company and value-added taxes. It also sheds light on factors driving corporate social responsibility disclosures as a crucial component of voluntary disclosure policyOriginality/valueThe paper explores the new determinants of voluntary disclosure such as foreign listing, governmental status and block holding for an emerging relatively unexplored stock market: ADX.

The Relationship between Capital Structure and Financial Performance in the Companies Listed in Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange: Evidences from United Arab Emirates

This study aimed to examine the relationship between capital structure and financial performance in the firms listed in Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX), Profitability Ratios were used to express of the financial performance, and the Debt Ratio was used to express the Capital Structure. A random sample from the companies listed in ADX was taken to achieve the objective this study, it consisted of 48% of all companies in this financial market, and the study period extended from 2008 to 2015. The researcher used Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS), to analyze the study hypotheses, using ANOVA, model summery and coefficients for the study variables. And the results of this study showed that is positive relationship between the capital structure (Debt Ratio) and the Financial Performance (Profitability: Return on Assets) in ADX. And there is a negative relationship when we used the Return on Equity to express for the Profitability with the capital structure. The overall study results showed that there is significant relationship between capital structure and financial Performance in the companies listed in Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange, and the model of this study able to explanation almost 31% from changes happened in the profitability due to the capital structure. This result was consistent with some previous studies.

The Gap between the Returns that Calculated by Capital Asset Pricing Model and the Actual Returns in Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX): Evidence from the United Arab Emirates

This study aimed to compare the Historical Returns (Rit) in companies listed in Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX) with the return which calculated by Capital Asset Pricing Model (E(Rit)) for the same companies and periods, and trying to figure out the level of dispersion, distortions and differences between them, and trying to figure out the strengths and weaknesses for the CAPM to explain the variances which happened in the Annual Return.The researcher used the time series analysis to achieve the target of this study, using Microsoft Office Excel software to introduce some figure and graphs which considered as output from Scatter charts, which are often used to find out if there's a relationship between variable X and Y to make judgment on the gap between the variables mentioned before.The researcher found that in the most of the study sample firms the capital asset pricing model could not to predict the returns were generated by companies in Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX), except in the banking sector, the result was amazing because the graphs which output from the time series analysis show the ability of CAPM to predict the Historical Returns, they were very closed and they Walking in the same direction without volatility.After the results appear in the time-series analysis researcher can says that there are weaknesses in the ability of CAPM to predict the returns in the financial markets which consistent with the (Fama & French, 1992) and with most studies conducted in this regard, but the model shows high ability to predict the returns in the banking sector. Therefore, the researchers can generalization this result on the financial markets in the United Arab Emirates. uage:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:ZH-CN;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA'>A critical demand for more nurses 30%-40% in certain units due to high work load. Most of the nurses were not satisfied about monitory compensation, participation in decision making and inadequate supplies.