PhD

Constructing a portfolio or investing in the stock market, without taking into account the firms' debt level is likely to render the control of returns, volatility and systematic risk ineffective. This study focuses on the European stock market which has suffered badly during the 2008 global financial crisis. It is within this context that the role of firm leverage and its relationship to risk and returns are explored. This innovative empirical study tests the leverage effect (on volatility, systematic risk, value at risk and returns) in terms of Shari'ah stock screening, and evaluates it applying random portfolio analysis, wavelet coherency and panel dynamic GMM techniques ...