ACTA VŠFS (Dec 2023)
Correlation between the ECB Pandemic Policy and the STOXX Europe 600 Sector Performance Sensitivity
Abstract
In 2022 European equity markets lost some of their value, led by high-growth sectors, which generally have a significantly higher growth rate. The prevailing academic opinion is that the European Central Bank's monetary policy during the COVID-19 pandemic is a key reason and the financial and the technology sectors are defined to be particularly sensitive to interest rates. In this context, a performance sensitivity analysis for the STOXX Euro 600 sectors on European Central Bank interest rates from 2020 to 2022 will be investigated based on the assumption of a significant interest rate sensitivity. The objective is achieved with a Pearson correlation and linear regression. The results confirm a correlation for the selected sectors, indicating a potential general sensitivity for the entire investigation period. On this basis, further research on sectors and variables such as inflation and a comparison with Fed interest rates and the S&P 500 is recommended.
Keywords