Abstract

The paper assesses whether the European banks’ stock prices are predicted or affected by changes in balance-sheet indicators and macroeconomic variables. The sample covers the time period from January 2007 to December 2013. Estimates use the multiple regression model based on the weighted least squares (WLS) estimator. Results show that the stock prices of European banks are positively related to asset quality, liquidity and banks’ capital ratios. However, in the same period, inflation rate and public debt exert a negative and significant effect on bank stock prices. Our findings are more significant in times of high market turbulence as have been experienced for almost a decade. These have provoked the investors’ perceptions to be more unstable and volatile. The availability of information remains limited and poor. Therefore, it is necessary to emphasize that identifying the causal determinants of stock prices in the markets could generate important practical and policy implications because of the role played by banks in financing the economic system, and will also attract investors (Note 1).

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