Application of modified GARCH methodology: Developed financial markets versus emerging financial markets

The subject of this research is to analyze and test the modified GARCH methodology in terms of quantifying the impact of inflation rates, interest rates on government bonds, reference interest rates, and exchange rates on daily rates of return on investment activities in the observed financial markets of North America, Serbia and Croatia. The aim of the research, i.e. a special focus in the research, is to compare the obtained results between the developed financial markets and the financial markets of developing countries, as well as to test the modified GARCH methodology in the observed financial markets. The key indicators in the research, presumed to affect the daily return rates, were the following: inflation rate, interest rates on government bonds, reference interest rate and exchange rate. The time period covered by the research is from 2005 to 2017, where the width of the research time horizon allows testing the modified GARCH methodology in the periods before, during and after the global financial crisis. In addition to the use of modified GARCH econometric models, the research methodology includes the use of AIC, SIC and HQC (Akaike, Schwarz and Hannan-Quinn) criteria for selecting the best models, as well as the appropriate tests that are suitable for and/or adapted to the specific characteristics of financial markets of both developed and developing countries. The research results confirm the role and importance of the modified GARCH methodology for effective investment risk quantification in developed financial markets versus the financial markets of developing countries. In this sense, the obtained research results will be useful to both the academic community and the professional public in the context of investment decision making.