CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background to the study

The Capital market in any country is one of the major pillars of long-term economic growth and development. The market serves a broad range of clientele, including different levels of government, corporate bodies and individuals within and outside the country. Capital formation entails accumulated savings out of the current incomes of either organization or individual. It is investment in fixed assets which in part is financed with monies raised through the capital market (Al-Faki, 2006). The Capital market has been one of the major means through which foreign funds are injected into most economies and the tendency towards a global economy is more visible there than anywhere else. It is therefore, quite valid to state that the growth of the capital market has become one of the barometers for measuring the overall economic growth of a nation (Emenuga, 1998).