Foreign Portfolio Investment and Performance of the Nigerian Capital Market

This study examined the effect of foreign portfolio investment on the performance of Nigerian capital market. The specific objectives are to investigate the impact of Net Foreign Portfolio Investment, Foreign Portfolio Investment in Equity, Foreign Portfolio Investment in Bonds, Foreign Portfolio in Government Securities and Nigerian Exchange Rate per US Dollar on the performance of Nigerian Capital Market. The required data were sourced from Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Statistical Bulletin and Stock Exchange Annual Report. The study has All Share Price Index and Market Capitalization as proxy for Capital market performance while Net Foreign Portfolio Investment (NFPI), Equity Investment (PIE), Bond Investment (PIB), Portfolio Investment in Government Securities (PIGS) and Exchange Rate as predictors variables. The Ordinary Least Square multiple regressions with econometric view were used as data analysis techniques. Cointegration test, Granger Causality Test, Augmented Dickey Fuller Test and Error Correction Model were used to examine the variables and its relationship to the dependent variables. Model one revealed that foreign portfolio investment in bonds and foreign portfolio investment in government securities have negative relationship with All Share Price Index while Net Foreign Portfolio investment, foreign portfolio investment in equities and exchange rate have positive relationship with All Share Price Index. Model two revealed that Net Foreign Portfolio Investment, Portfolio Investments in Bonds and Government securities has negative relationship with market capitalization while equity investment and exchange rate have positive relationship with market capitalization. The study concludes that foreign portfolio investment have significant relationship with Nigerian capital market performance. It therefore recommends that policies should be devised to enhance the operational efficiency of the Nigerian capital market, to attract foreign investors.