Fixed/Floating Exchange Rate Systems, Health Crisis and Financial Markets of BRICS/Africa: Generalized Linear Model (GLM) Estimations

The fixed and floating exchange rate systems exhibit essential differences. The paper attempts to provide empirical clarification concerning the type of exchange rate regime that has the most favourable impact on stock market returns and prices of the BRICS and African markets using the GLM regression method. The results are based on the inverse Gaussian functions and also identity and 1og functions of the estimated generalized linear model. The fixed exchange regime impacted adversely and significantly on the stock prices of both stock markets. The floating regime impacted favourably and significantly on the stock prices of the BRICS and African stock markets at the inverse Gaussian and Gamma identities. Whereas the fixed regime impacted adversely on stock returns of the BRICS markets at Gaussian identity, it impacted positively but rather insignificantly on the performance of stock returns of African markets. For African stock markets, both the floating and fixed regimes impacted stock returns positively, but the impact of the fixed regime is significant and also of a higher magnitude compared to that of the floating regime (17.313>10.885) HIV and Covid-19 deaths have significant inverse effects on stock prices of African stock markets. For the BRICS markets, the effect of Covid-19 on prices and returns was negative but insignificant. Only stock return effect of HIV was adverse and significant for the BRICS markets. The research findings will be useful for financial marketers involved in international financial trade and seeking to align with developments in international financial markets.