The Impact of Economic Uncertainty on Investment in Libya: An Econometric Analytical Study (1995–2024)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.54172/17bsh128Keywords:
Economic Uncertainty, Domestic Investment, Oil Prices, Exchange Rate, Inflation, NARDL ModelAbstract
This study aims to investigate the impact of economic uncertainty on investment in Libya during the period (1995–2024) using the Non-linear Autoregressive Distributed Lag (NARDL) model. The study utilizes exchange rate volatility, oil price volatility, and inflation rate volatility as proxies for economic uncertainty, while Gross Capital Formation as a percentage of GDP is employed as the dependent variable representing investment.
The empirical results reveal a non-linear relationship between economic uncertainty and investment. Furthermore, the findings indicate that investment sensitivity was significantly higher in the short run compared to the long run. Specifically, negative shocks in exchange rate volatility had a significant negative impact on investment, whereas positive shocks exerted an insignificant positive effect. Similarly, negative oil price shocks significantly hindered investment, while positive shocks had an insignificant positive influence. Conversely, negative inflation rate shocks demonstrated a significant positive impact on investment, while positive shocks resulted in an insignificant negative effect.
The study recommends the adoption of robust monetary and fiscal policies aimed at mitigating economic fluctuations to ensure the creation of an attractive and stable environment for investment.
References
1. Al-Afandi, Muhammad Ahmad. (2013). Introduction to Macroeconomics (5th ed.). Al-Amin Publishing and Distribution.
2. Aya Mohasseb Abdel Hamid, Mustafa. (2024). The Impact of the Global Uncertainty Index on Economic Growth in Egypt: An Analytical Study (1995-2023). International Journal of Economic Studies, 7(31).
3. Bishay, Marina Adel Ibrahim. (2025). A Study of the Impact of Uncertainty in Economic Policy on the Relationship Between Accounting Conservatism and the Risk of Stock Price Collapse: An Applied Study. Scientific Journal of Financial and Commercial Studies and Research, Damietta University, 6(2), 1159-1200.
4. Boufench, Wassila. (2021). Analysis and Measurement of the Relationship Between the Growth of Gross Fixed Capital Formation and Economic Growth in Algeria During the Period 1980-2018. Academy for Social and Human Studies, 13(2), 60-69.
5. Al-Hamid, Khaled. (1975). Principles of Economic Planning. Directorate of Books and Publications, Al-Hadith Press.
6- Shalawh, Faraj Muhammad, Abu Wakil, Muhammad Ali, Al-Bakoush, Omar Ali, and Abu Hajar, Abdul Malik. (2025). The Impact of Exchange Rate Fluctuations on the Financial Performance of Libyan Commercial Banks. North Africa Journal of Scientific Publishing, 3(2), 127-143.
7- Shala'in, Ahmed. (2022). Assessing the State of Uncertainty in the Jordanian Economy and its Impact on Macroeconomic Variables. Journal of Applied Economic Studies, Central Bank of Jordan, (2).
8- Al-Shalmani, Siraj Issa, and Al-Darsi, Ahmed Muhammad Khalil. (2023). The Impact of Inflation on the Development of the Financial Sector in the Libyan Economy during the Period (1990-2021). University of Derna Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, 1(2).
9- Sakhri, Omar. (2005). Macroeconomic Analysis (5th ed.). University Publications Office. 10- Al-Shabib, Duraid Kamel. (2008). Investment and Investment Analysis. Dar Al-Yazouri Scientific Publishing.
11- Al-Tuwairi, Nasser Sassi, and Ali, Muhammad Ali Al-Hajj. (2023). Using the VAR Model to Measure the Impact of Public Investment on Private Investment in Libya during the Period (1990-2020). Journal of Academic Research, (26), 35-44.
12- Al-Amami, Abdullah Faraj, and Al-Manfi, Milad Muhammad. (2025). Pricing Total Risk and Cost of Capital in Libya: The Impact of Economic Uncertainty, Oil Volatility, and Political Risks. Sada Al-Qalam Journal for Humanities and Applied Sciences, University of Derna, (1).
13- Issa, Khalfan Hamad. (2016). Investment and Portfolio Management (1st ed.). Al-Janadriya Publishing and Distribution.
14- Al-Maghribi, Muhammad Al-Fatih Mahmoud Bashir. (2018). Finance and Investment in Islam (1st ed.). The Modern Academy for University Books.
Abu Asab, N. (2024). Investment Amid Uncertainty: Exchange Rates and Oil Price Dynamics in Saudi Arabia. International Journal of Energy Economics and Policy 14(6), 641-650.
https://doi.org/10.32479/ijeep.17315.
- Baker, S. R., Bloom, N., & Davis, S. J. (2016). Measuring economic policy uncertainty. The Quar-terly Journal of Economics, 131(4), 1593–1636. https://doi.org/10.1093/qje/qjw024
Bernanke, B. S. (1983). Irreversibility, uncertainty, and cyclical investment. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 98(1), 85–106. https://doi.org/10.2307/1885568
- Bloom, N. (2009). The impact of uncertainty shocks. Econometrica, 77(3), 623–685. https://doi.org/10.3982/ECTA6610
- Chen, Y., Dong, S., Qian, S., & Chung, K. (2024). Impact of oil price volatility and economic pol-icy uncertainty on business investment: Insights from the energy sector. Heliyon, 10(4), e26533. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e26533
- Fitriani, S. (2017). The exchange rate volatility and export performance: The case of Indonesia’s exports to Japan and US. Buletin Economic Monitor and Perbankan, 20(1), 67–94. https://doi.org/10.21098/bemp.v20i1.716
- Kamasa, K., Kpodo, E. E., & Bonuedi, I. (2022). Does inflation uncertainty hurt domestic investment? Empirical evidence from Ghana. Cogent Economics & Finance, 10(1), 2115673. https://doi.org/10.1080/23322039.2022.2115673
- Khan, M. S., Bashir, M. F., & Akram, M. (2025). The impact of economic policy uncertainty on corporate investment decisions. İktisat Politikası Araştırmaları Dergisi - Journal of Economic Policy Researches, 12(1), 195–217.
- Oladipo, S. O. (2025). Exchange rate volatility, inflation rate and foreign direct investment in Nige-ria [Preprint]. November 4th. https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7963423/v1
- Serven, L. (1998). Macroeconomic uncertainty and private investment in developing countries: An empirical investigation (Policy Research Working Paper No. 2035). World Bank. DOI:10.1596/1813-9450-2035
- Tarasenko, I. (2021). The impact of exchange rate volatility on trade: The evidence from Russia. Russian Journal of Economics, 7(3), 213–232. https://doi.org/10.32609/j.ruje.7.57933
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 أحمد محمد خليل ، سحر علي (مؤلف)

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Copyright of the articles Published by Al-Mukhtar Journal of Economic Sciences (Mjes) is retained by the author(s), who grant Mjes a license to publish the article. Authors also grant any third party the right to use the article freely as long as its integrity is maintained and its original authors and cite Mjes as the original publisher. Also, they accept the article remains published by the Mjes website (except in the occasion of a retraction of the article). All Mjes Published articles under the Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.



