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The Impact of COVID-19 on Banking Sector Returns, Profitability, and Liquidity in South Africa

Author

Listed:
  • Faeezah Peerbhai

    (Department of Finance and Tax, University of Cape Town, South Africa)

  • Damien Kunjal

    (School of Accounting, Economics and Finance, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa)

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic, which initially started as a health crisis, has had widespread economic impacts on various industries in the global economy. The banking sector, in particular, was significantly impacted by fiscal and monetary responses which were implemented to reduce the closure of several businesses and stabilize markets. Given that banks are regarded as systemically important financial institutions, this heightened uncertainty increased the possibility of a financial crisis because instabilities in the banking sector could have further detrimental effects on national and global economies. Therefore, the objective of this study was to explore the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the South African banking sector. To achieve this objective, the study analysed the returns, profitability, and liquidity of banks listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange using a panel regression approach. Together, the results of the study revealed that the profitability and liquidity of banks were negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, however, the excess bank stock returns generated by investors were not affected. These findings may serve as reference to policymakers when developing policies which regulate the banking sector in order to improve performance and ensure liquidity during periods of increased market uncertainty.

Suggested Citation

  • Faeezah Peerbhai & Damien Kunjal, 2024. "The Impact of COVID-19 on Banking Sector Returns, Profitability, and Liquidity in South Africa," International Journal of Economics and Financial Issues, Econjournals, vol. 14(2), pages 146-151, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:eco:journ1:2024-02-15
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Mohamed Albaity & Ray Saadaoui Mallek & Hasan Mustafa, 2022. "Bank Stock Return Reactions to the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Role of Investor Sentiment in MENA Countries," Risks, MDPI, vol. 10(2), pages 1-15, February.
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Banking Sector; COVID-19; Liquidity; Profitability; Return;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G01 - Financial Economics - - General - - - Financial Crises
    • G10 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - General (includes Measurement and Data)
    • G11 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Portfolio Choice; Investment Decisions

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