Assessing the readiness of BRICS grouping for mutually beneficial financial integration

This paper assesses the extent of the transmission of equity market volatility shocks between BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) countries to infer the degree of risk sharing and the possibility of a beneficial financial integration between its member countries. The paper makes use of the spillover index methodology suggested by Diebold and Yilmaz (2012) to this end. Nonetheless, the paper extends this methodology by making use of ex ante volatility measures that account for long memory in equity markets. The paper finds asymmetric influences between BRICS countries in relation to the cross transmission of risks. The finding of the paper implies the possibility of unequal benefit that could result from a possible capital market liberalisation between the BRICS countries