Overview of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation

The chapter provides a detailed description of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and its stock markets. As the second largest regional bloc, the OIC is home to several rapidly emerging markets and natural resources-rich countries. Despite this, out of the 57 member countries, only 33 have an active stock exchange. In these, there are significantly lower domestic companies listed as compared to other developing and emerging markets. Less liquid markets bring about an increased volatility, and an increased volatility is reflective of both shallowness and a lack of integration with global markets, indicating the main problem with OIC stock markets.