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Presently the role of corporate governance and macroeconomic factors has increased the importance of corporate financial decisions. Capital structure decisions are one of the main corporate financial decisions. The aim of the present study is to investigate the effect of corporate governance and macroeconomic volatility on firm's capital structure decisions. This study focused on Energy and Fuel sector and panel data was used for the period 2005-2018. The econometric analysis concluded that lagged leverage have positive significant influence on leverage and the size of the firm have negative significant impact on leverage. Assets efficiency and inflation have positive impact on leverage but Dummy for Crises has negative impact on leverage. Moreover, study observes that overall impact of macroeconomic volatility on the firm leverage with the improved governance qualities resulted as negative. The evidence recommends that governance perform as helpful mechanism to control the usage of firm's leverage throughout period of high fluctuations. This study is beneficial for the investors, corporate decision makers and public policy makers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study of macroeconomic forces and the stock market is a dynamic field in finance because investors' interest changes due to their preference for high returns over lower returns and risk-averse investors are always desirous of mitigating risk across emerging economies are playing a pivotal role in the global investment communities. Therefore, this study focuses on various economic indicators that robust business growth. The primary purpose of this study is to evaluate macroeconomic forces' linkages with stock markets by applying a panel data analysis. Data was taken for the period 1999 to 2019 for Asian stock markets. Panel data econometric techniques have been used to analyze the data of the Asian equity market. Studies have taken stock market data from five emerging economies, i.e., Pakistan, China, India, Philippines, and Japan. Panel data results confirm that gross domestic product, interest rates, exchange rate, and money supply positively impact market return. However, correlation results reveal that market return strongly relates to foreign direct investment, interest rate, and money supply. The co-integration result also reveals the presence of a long-run relationship. Further results show that GDP has a leading behavior with market return, and market return has a leading behavior with GDP, CPI, ER, and IPI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Economic growth and green financial development association has gained a very high concentration in the developed economies. However, developing countries are less focused on this phenomenon because these economies are less financially developed, and Pakistan is no exception. This study aimed to estimate the causal and dynamic relationship between Pakistan's economic growth and green financial development. The study used time-series data from 1990 to 2022 regarding green financial development and economic growth. The outcome of the present study identified that the long and short-term association exist between economic growth and green financial growth. Further, this study examined economic growth, green credit, securities, insurance, investments, foreign direct investment, green production, and green employment. Multivariate and bi-variate co-integration results indicate that economic growth has a long-run significant relationship with all these parameters; however, granger causality results indicate that economic growth leads to FDI (foreign direct investment) and green production leads to economic growth. However, green securities lead to green investment, and green energy leads to green production. Green Insurance and Green Energy have bilateral causality. Green employment leads to green insurance, investment in green jobs, and green energy in green production. Long-run and short-run causal and dynamic linkage exist between economic growth and other green parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Green growth is an extension of traditional economic growth. Financial fragility and ICT penetration are important pillars of green growth sustainability. However, very limited studies have explored this association and provided conflicting results. Thus, our study intends to fill this vacuum by exploring the impact of financial fragility and ICT penetration on renewable energy consumption and green growth for the top five polluting economies over the period 1996–2020. In this study, financial fragility is measured by bank costs and bank non-performing loans. Panel ARDL technique is used to find out long-run and short-run results estimates. Financial fragility reduces renewable energy consumption and green growth in the long run. However, internet penetration enhances renewable energy consumption and green growth in the long run. Our findings suggest imperative policy implications for the green economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the cointegration and volatility spillover dynamics between the USA and South Asian stock markets, namely, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The main objective of this study is to provide the knowledge about integration of financial market and volatility spillovers before, during and after global financial crisis to investors, fund managers and policy-makers. Design/methodology/approach: The Johansen and Juselius cointegration test, Granger Causality test and bivaraite EGARCH model have been applied in this study to examine integration and volatility spillovers between selected stock markets. Findings: The findings show that long-term integration between the USA market and South Asian emerging stock markets. It is found that USA stock market has causal relationship with emerging stock markets in short-term. The findings of EGARCH model reveal that asymmetric volatility spillover effects significant in all selected stock markets in pre, during and post-crisis periods. Furthermore, significant volatility spillover is found from stock markets of USA to all selected South Asian markets during and post-crisis periods. However, volatility spillovers from USA to India and Sri-Lanka markets are significant, while insignificant in case of Pakistani market in pre-crisis period. Overall, we find that returns and volatility spillover effects are higher in financial crisis period as compared to non-financial crisis period. Practical implications: The findings of this paper have important implications for investors, portfolio managers and policy-makers. They can take potential benefits from international portfolio diversification by considering all these facts. The understanding and knowledge of across volatility transmission help them to maximize the gains from diversification and minimize the risk. Policy-makers can develop such strategies which protect the markets of these economies from future financial crisis. Originality/value: Although in finance literature numerous studies have been conducted on integration between different stock markets, most of the studies investigated the integration and volatility spillovers between developed stock markets. However, many studies also analyzed the integration among emerging stock markets in literature review but it is hard to find studies in the context of South Asian stock markets on the effect of global financial crisis on stock markets. The main contribution of this study is to investigate the stock markets integration and volatility transmission between the USA and South Asia by considering the effect of recent 2007 US subprime financial crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present investigation was focused on the detailed study of the microfacies and diagenetic framework of the shallow shelf Loralai Formation, Khader Zai Nala section, Bargha Shirani, Western Sulaiman Range, District Zhob, Balochistan, Pakistan. The Loralai Formation belongs to the Middle Jurassic carbonate rocks with its wide distribution in the host area of studied sections, adjoining District Loralai and around. The present authors studied this formation in detail for the first time covering its microfacies assemblages and diagenetic attributes. The petrographic analyses manifested that its most significant microfacies include: intraclastic rudstones, intraclastic grainstones, bioclastic grainstones, ooidal grainstones, peloidal grainstones, bioclastic packstones, ooidal packstones, and bioclastic mudstones. Its diagenetic attributes were, also, elaborated. A variety of cement morphologies has been identified from early to late diagenetic phases. This study, also, demonstrated the formation's significant reservoir quality in the western Sulaiman Range and adjoining areas. It is revealed by the excellent display of predominant grainstone microfacies. The secondary porosities due to dissolution, moldic, and vuggy porosities, and secondary porosities due to fracturing and extensive dolomitization have also been recorded from the measured section. The fractured limestone horizons, subjected to various phases of fracturing at different levels of this formation, displayed enhanced effective porosity and permeability due to induced interconnections. It is believed that the deposition of the Loralai Formation has taken place in the shallow shelf environments and it has developed reservoir quality at various stratigraphic levels in the investigated section. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Limestone is the most abundant and massively used industrial commodity globally as well as in Pakistan. Type localities and type sections were sampled from top to bottom of the vertical succession of beds of each limestone rock unit for chemical and mineralogical analysis. The results of laboratory studies were then compared with the British standard specifications and it was found that these limestones, namely, Lockhart, Margalla Hill, Samanasuk, Sakesar and Nammal are of great economic importance and commercially exploitable. For each limestone, bulk samples were taken from top to bottom beds in vertical depositional succession at the respective type sections selected for sampling. Limestone and calcium carbonate are used in a wide range of products e.g. glass, ceramics, paper, sugar, plastic, paint, rubber, polishes, dentifrices, putty, insecticides, as a fillerin adhesives, matches, pencils, food, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and antibiotics. Collected samples were processed, prepared and analyzed chemically for SiO2 , A1203, CaO, MgO, Na2O, K2O and loss on ignition in accordance with ASTM C 25 - 06. This research work has shown that abundant quantities of limestone spread allover Pakistan is of great industrial usage and bear potential for industrialization and economic revival of Pakistan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The area is located on Khoushab-Kathwai-Nowshera Road. To determine the rank of coal, laboratory tests such as proximate analysis (moisture, volatile matter, fixed carbon and ash), ultimate analysis (elemental composition of organic fraction on weight percent basis; carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen and sulfur), heating value, hard groove grindability index (HGI) and petrographic analysis were carried out. The basic knowledge and understanding of coal structure, crucial to understanding of the physical properties of coal and chemistry of conversion processes such as gasification, liquefaction, combustion and carbonization, is gathered through petrology and petrography of the samples. The petrographic analysis of the coal sample was carried out by using the Olympus BX51 microscope, equipped with polarizing accessories, a research grade instrument designed for analytical investigations. Macerals were observed under refracted light. Coal fragments were polished down to less than half a micrometre before they were observed under the microscope. From the results obtained through chemical analysis and petrography (i.e. microscopic and macroscopic study), it is finally concluded that the given coal sample belongs to sub-bitumeous rank with grade-A and is suitable for use in power generation and cement industry, after blending it with the coal having low sulphur content and high HGI value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article describes a study which examined the usage of Rice Husk Ash for subgrade soil stabilization.

This article describes a study which investigated the petroleum geology of the Loralai formation in Sulaiman Range in Pakistan.