The Relationship between Macroeconomic Variables and Share Prices: A Case of Nairobi Securities Exchange

This study examined the nature of the relationship between the macroeconomic variables and share prices using the Nairobi Securities Exchange All Share Index (NASI). The study used four macroeconomic variables namely; interest rate, inflation, exchange rate and gross domestic product (GDP) for the period January 2008 to December 2014. The study found a positive relationship between GDP and NSE share prices. Exchange rate was found to have an insignificant positive relationship with share prices while interest rates had negative relationship with share prices. Inflation rate was found to have significant negative relationship with share prices due to its effect on purchasing power. The study concluded that the four macroeconomic variables combined had strong positive and significant relationship with share prices. The macroeconomic variables accounted for 86.97% of changes in share prices. The study recommended that capital markets regulators and other government regulatory bodies should promote a stable macroeconomic environment in the country for optimal performance of shares and stock market at large.