...denominated in the currency of business operations. But have recently been suggested to consider borrowing in British pounds sterling in order to take advantage of a borrowing opportunity in that currency. Carrefour is exposed to exchange rate risk because of foreign-currency exposure from imported goods. This risk was being hedged through forward contracts. The €13.5 billion of debt on the Carrefour books is 97% hedged in Euro currency, €6.4 billion of that being publicly traded bonds. Carrefour has a large exposure risk to the Euro because of their hedging policy. 2) Why does the Eurobond market exist? A Eurobond is an international bond that is denominated in a currency not of the currency to the country where it is issued. Like many bonds, Eurobonds are usually fixed-rate, interest-bearing notes, although many are also offered with floating rates and other variations. Most pay an annual coupon and have maturities of 3-7 years. Eurobond issues are made to cater to the issuers' and investors' needs, and can vary in terms and form substantially. The Eurobond market exists for large corporations such as Carrefour to make transactions involving cheaper access to capital in a particular currency or funds at a lower interest rate that two or more parties capitalize on by exchange payments on parallel or opposing debt issues to take advantage of arbitrage conditions or complementary financial advantages. 3) What can a firm do to manage the exchange rate risk of foreign currency...
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...17. If the spot rate of the Malaysian ringgit is $.30 and the six month forward rate of the ringgit is $.32, what is the forward premium or discount on an annual basis? A. premium; about 14.5% B. discount; about 14.5% * C. premium; about 13.3% D. discount; about 13.3% E. premium; about 16.7% Solution: use Equation (5-4) [(.32 - .30)/.30] x (360/180) = 13.3% 18. If the spot rate of the Israel shekel is $.32 and the six month forward rate is $.30, what is the forward premium or discount on an annual basis? A. discount; 11.5% B. premium; 11.5% C. premium; 12.5% * D. discount; 12.5% E. premium; 22.5% Solution: use Equation (5-4) [(.30 - .32)/.32] x (360/180) = -12.5% 19. If the Canadian dollar is equal to $.86 and the Brazilian real is equal to $.28, what is the value of the Brazilian real in terms of Canadian dollars? * A. about .3256 reals B. about .3568 reals C. about 1.2 reals D. about 1.5 reals E. about .5600 reals Solution: cross rate .28/.86 = .3256 20. If the Japanese yen was worth $.0035 six months ago and is worth $.0045 today, how much has the yen appreciated or depreciated? * A. appreciated; about 29% B. appreciated; about 25% C. depreciated; about 20% D. depreciated; about 18% E. appreciated; about 15% Solution: use Equation (5-1) (.0045 - .0035)/.0035 = 29% 21. Assume: (1) the US annual interest...
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...Introduction The term “foreign exchange” basically refers to buying the currency of one country while selling the currency of another country. All nations have their own, different kinds of money (currency). This has existed throughout the ages, probably since the time of the Babylonians. As trading developed between nations, the need to convert one kind of money to another also developed. This is how a formal system of foreign exchange arose. As trade between nations developed, Britain, as the nation with the largest and strongest navy, could spread its commercial interests far and wide. It therefore became the most active trading nation, with a vast empire of colonies. As a result, Britain’s currency, the pound sterling, became a benchmark to which other currencies were compared (and exchanged) for most of the seventeenth, eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Today, most currencies are compared to the U.S. Dollar, currently the most active and commercially strong trading nation; many currencies are still “pegged” to the U.S. Dollar for their exchange rate. Because FX risks can be identified, they can be managed. Foreign exchange management requires that governments, companies, and individuals understand the factors that influence the valuation of currency. By identifying these factors, they can enter into transactions that mitigate the risks to acceptable levels. These transactions, or hedge positions, are designed to maximize the economic benefit of foreign exchange receipts...
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...1.0 Introduction Airlines industry faces substantial strategic, financial, operational and hazard risks due to the nature of the operating environment. Financial risks create uncertainties about future cash flows due to changes in economic conditions as well as changes in revenues, operating expenditure and financing costs. Firms are urged to minimise these risks to have higher predictability on future cash flows in order to meet various obligations, for instance shareholders’ required rate of return and debt repayment. This report looks into Air New Zealand in particular to study two of the risks that are significant for an airline company, namely foreign currency risk and fuel price risk. Section 2 of this report gives an overview of the relationships between the operation of Air New Zealand with both the risks. Besides, discussions and suggestions on Air New Zealand risk management approaches are presented in Section 3. Finally, a brief summary and conclusion is included in the last section. 2.0 Risks Description 2.1 Fuel Price Risk The Nature of Fuel Price Risk Fuel price risk is the risk of fluctuations in fuel prices which could adversely affect the financial performance of Air New Zealand as jet fuel is a critical input factor for airlines. Fuel prices are affected by the supply and demand, oil price futures and the downside or upside movement in the US dollar against NZ dollar. In particular, the increase in jet fuel prices adds a significant amount to Air...
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...Investing in foreign securities, while a good thing for your long-term portfolio, continues to pose new threats for investors. As more people broaden their investment universe by expanding into foreign stocks and bonds, they must also bear the risk associated with fluctuations in exchange rates. Fluctuations in these currency values, whether the home currency or the foreign currency, can either enhance or reduce the returns associated with foreign investments. Currency plays a significant role in investing; read on to uncover potential strategies that might downplay its effects. Pros of Foreign Diversification There is simply no doubting the benefits of owning foreign securities in your portfolio. After all, modern portfolio theory (MPT) has established that the world's markets do not move in lockstep and that by mixing asset classes with low correlation to one another in the appropriate proportions, risk can be reduced at the portfolio level, despite the presence of volatile underlying securities. As a refresher, correlation coefficients range between -1 and +1. Anything less than perfect positive correlation (+1) is considered a good diversifier. The correlation matrix depicted below demonstrates the low correlation of foreign securities against domestic positions. Monthly Correlations 1988 to 2006 Security Type S&P 500 Index Russell 2000 Index Russell 2000 Value MSCI EAFE International Small Cap International Small Cap Value MSCI Emerging Markets S&P 500...
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...greater profitability for companies that choose to set up operations in foreign countries. However, along with these opportunities come various risks to these companies. One of the main risks these companies will face is foreign currency exchange rate risk. Companies that plan to set up operations in a foreign country must exchange its domestic currency into the currency of the host nation to buy the necessary building materials, supplies, and other necessary resources that the operations will require (Hill, 2009). For example, if a U.S. company desires to set up operations in the country of China, it will have to exchange U.S. dollars currency into Chinese currency-the Yuan. If a company in Japan wants to set up operations in Spain or Italy, it would have to exchange its currency- the Yen into these countries’ currency, which is the Euro. The foreign currency exchange rates between these countries consistently fluctuate causing one to appreciate or depreciate against the other. The unpredictable movement of the foreign currency exchange rates can have adverse effects on a company’s investments, and profits that have operations in a foreign country. Foreign companies with operations in the U.S. normally convert the dollars it earns back into its domestic currency (Hill, 2009). The main foreign currency exchange risk these foreign companies may face is the depreciation of its domestic currency against the currency of the U.S.-the dollar. This transaction can cause potential detrimental...
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...Foreign Exchange Risk Management Michael Highfill Liberty University BUSI 620 – B05 LUO Dr. Mike Thirtle July 6, 2012 Foreign Exchange Risk Management Introduction Foreign exchange (FX) is a risk factor that must be considered by all firms that wish to enter, grow, and succeed in the global marketplace. Although most U.S. exporters prefer to sell their goods in U.S. dollars, creditworthy foreign buyers are increasingly demanding to pay in their local currencies (“Foreign Exchange Risk Management”, n.d.). Therefore, this currency exchange adds risk to any global trade that must be accounted for and managed, for a firm to remain competitive in the global marketplace. Definitions Foreign Exchange Risk Before we begin our discussion, we must define a working definition of foreign exchange risk. Global commerce is facilitated through foreign exchange markets. These markets affect global commerce in two ways. First, importers exchange their domestic currency for foreign currency, in order to purchase international goods. Second, multinational companies exchange profits earned in foreign currencies for domestic currency to use in their home nation. The foreign currency exchange market is made up of corporations, governments, and private individuals who trade international currencies among themselves (Bofah, n.d.a). The exchange rates for currency pairs such as the United States (U.S.) dollar and the Euro (USD/EUR)...
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...Introduction The wholesale foreign exchange (FX) market plays a vital role in the global economy by providing an efficient means for exchanging currencies. It is used to pay for imports, to allow exporters to be paid in other currencies and to process cross-currency flow of funds. While it causes FX risk due to the randomness of movements in exchange rates currencies the forward FX market and other derivative contracts and strategies can be used to hedge FX risk. FX risk exposures FX risk is the possibility of loss due to an unexpected movement in an exchange rate. It is faced when a party decides to exchange currencies and exists for the period between this decision and when the trade is made in the FX market. Foreign currency assets, for example an investment in US stocks by AMP, are exposed to the risk of an appreciation of the AUD whereas holders of foreign currency liabilities (such as an Australian bank that has issued securities in a foreign currency) face the risk of a depreciation of the domestic currency since such a movement would increase the domestic currency’s value of the liabilities. Importers have to pay in the foreign currency and so face the risk of a depreciation in the AUD, since this increases the AUD cost of the foreign currency in which the imported items are sold. Whereas exporters face the risk an appreciation in the AUD since this would reduce the AUD value of the foreign currency earnings. Hedging with forward contracts A forward FX contract...
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...TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION ii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS iii CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION 1 1.1 Background 1 1.1.1 Derivatives 2 1.1.2 Foreign Currency Exposure of a Commercial Bank 3 1.1.3 Effect of derivatives on foreign exchange exposure 5 1.1.4 Commercial Banks in Kenya 6 1.2 Research Problem 7 1.3 Objectives of the Study 8 1.4 Value of the Study 9 CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW 10 2.1 Introduction 10 2.2 Theoretical review 10 2.3 Foreign Exchange Risk Management 13 2.6 Empirical Review 18 2.6 Summary of Literature review 19 CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 20 3.1 Introduction 20 3.2 Research Design 20 3.3 Study Population 20 3.4 Data Collection Procedures 20 3.5 Data Analysis and Presentation 20 REFERENCES 22 APPENDICES 26 LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS CBK – Central Bank of Kenya ERV - Exchange rate volatility FOREX – Foreign Exchange FX – Foreign Exchange IFE – International Fisher Effect IFX - Income from foreign currencies as a percentage of total income IRP – Interest Rate Parity MST – Market Segmentation Theory NA - Net Assets NFXNA - Net Foreign Currency Exposure Relative to Net Assets NFX - Net Foreign Currency Exposure NSE – Nairobi Securities Exchange OS - Ownership Status or Nature of Ownership PPP – Purchasing Power Parity CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background The traditional role for commercial banks has been perceived...
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...functional currency: 4 2. Determine whether the functional currency of the subsidiary is also its home currency. 4 a) If the functional currency is the home currency, 4 b) If the functional currency of the subsidiary is not its home currency, 5 III. Reasons for Translation 5 A. Recording direct business transactions 5 B. Reporting operations conducted through a foreign enterprise 6 C. Measuring the enterprise exposure to the effects of currency fluctuation 7 D. Communicating with foreign audiences-of-interest 7 IV. Financial statement effects of alternative translation rates 7 A. Exchange rates used in translation 7 1. Current rate: 7 2. Historical rate: 7 3. Average rate: 8 B. Risks associated with fluctuations of exchange rates 8 1. Currency transaction risk 9 2. Currency translation risk 9 V. Foreign Currency Translation Methods 9 A. Single rate method 10 1. Current rate method 10 B. Multiple rate method 11 1. Current/noncurrent method 11 2. Monetary/nonmonetary method 11 3. Temporal method 12 VI. Foreign Currency Transactions 13 A. Exchange rate mechanisms 13 1. Independent float: 13 2. Pegged to another currency: 13 3. European monetary system: 13 B. Foreign currency markets 13 1. Exchange Rate 13 2. Types of Exchange rates 14 a) Spot rate: 14 b) Forward rate: 15 c) Swap transaction: 15 C. Hedging foreign exchange risk 16 1. Definition 16 2. Techniques for hedging foreign exchange...
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...Economics 2 (2006) 129-146 EXCHANGE RATE RISK MEASUREMENT AND MANAGEMENT: ISSUES AND APPROACHES FOR FIRMS MICHAEL G. PAPAIOANNOU, Ph.D. International Monetary Fund Abstract Measuring and managing exchange rate risk exposure is important for reducing a firm’s vulnerabilities from major exchange rate movements, which could adversely affect profit margins and the value of assets. This paper reviews the traditional types of exchange rate risk faced by firms, namely transaction, translation and economic risks, presents the VaR approach as the currently predominant method of measuring a firm’s exchange rate risk exposure, and examines the main advantages and disadvantages of various exchange rate risk management strategies, including tactical vs. strategical and passive vs. active hedging. In addition, it outlines a set of widely-accepted best practices in managing currency risk and presents some of the main hedging instruments in the OTC and exchange-traded markets. The paper also provides some data on the use of financial derivatives instruments, and hedging practices by US firms. JEL Classification: F31, G13, G15, G32, M21 Keywords: Financial Risk, Financial Management, Foreign Exchange Hedging, Corporate Hedging Practices Corresponding address: 700 19th Street, N.W. Washington, DC 20431 e-mail: mpapaioannou@imf.org This paper draws heavily on various presentations on risk management while the author was the Director of Foreign Exchange Service of the WEFA Group. I...
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....................................................................................................................................... 1 1.0 Sizable exposure to the foreign exchange risk .............................................................................. 1 2.0 Types of exposure ............................................................................................................................ 1 2.1 Capital Adequacy ........................................................................................................................ 2 2.2 Cash flow ...................................................................................................................................... 2 2.3 Fair value & income statement .................................................................................................. 3 2.4 Net investment in foreign operations ......................................................................................... 3 2.5 Translation exposure................................................................................................................... 3 Question 2 ............................................................................................................................................... 3 3.0 Policies of managing foreign currency exchange rate risk .......................................................... 3 3.1 Holding and issuing derivative financial instruments ...............................................
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...Running head: CURRENCY EXCHANGE RATE CURRENCY EXCHANGE RATE Catherine Girard MAN551 Dr. Giscombe March 26 2016 The international trade is closely linked and dependent on the exchange rate, when a company or a trader operates internationally, it is confronted with the notion of the exchange rate, which is very critical to its operations. Like the market interest rates, the foreign exchange market, is a market that is not immune to risk. Indeed, companies as they operate internationally, they are exposed to the exchange rate, which is the main determinant of international trade. Moreover, the exchange rate highlights a real market, one currency, which is also facing a long-term volatility of currency rates, which is due to the parity of purchasing power and status relationships economic (economic, financial, and monetary), between one country and another foreign country. In other words, the trade and current account deficits that assess the purchasing power parity between the states are partly responsible for the instability rates and secondly, the establishment of a floating currencies since the 1970s, and induced inflation. In the short term, financial factors such as economic policies, and actions of monetary authorities. However, this rate instability is affecting all market players, traders, tourists, businesses and institutions. At company level, these fluctuations are two types of risk: transaction risk, and the risk of loss of competitiveness...
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...Exposure…………………………………………….……..11 4. Other Strategies used by Companies to Hedge Exposure……………………...………19 5. Case Studies: Hedging Strategy used by Companies………………………….………..20 2 INTRODUCTION Foreign exchange exposure represents a material risk for multinational corporations which are unrelated to business operations. One needs to identify each foreign exchange exposure, the risk it represents and methods and costs available to limit such exposure. The value of a firm’s assets, liabilities and operating income changes continuously due to change in factors such as exchange rates, interest rates, inflation etc. In other words, a firm is “exposed” to uncertain changes in a number of variables in its environment. Exposure may therefore be defined as a measure of sensitivity of the value of a financial item to changes in the macro economic variables mentioned above. Risk refers to the variability of the value of the item. FOREIGN EXCHANGE EXPOSURE Foreign Exchange Exposure occurs because of unanticipated change in the exchange rate. For example the difference in the spot rate & one month forward rate is 0.30 rupee per USD and after one month rupee depreciates by 30 paisa there would be no FE exposure but if actual depreciation is more, then exposure would be said to exist. The definition of foreign exchange exposure can be summarized using the following equation: ΔV=β0 + β1 (ΔSu) where: V is the change in the value of the asset ΔSu is the unexpected change in the spot rate β1 is the...
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...INTRODUCTION: FOREX — the foreign exchange market or currency market or Forex is the market where one currency is traded for another. It is one of the largest markets in the world. Some of the participants in this market are simply seeking to exchange a foreign currency for their own, like multinational corporations which must pay wages and other expenses in different nations than they sell products in. However, a large part of the market is made up of currency traders, who speculate on movements in exchange rates, much like others would speculate on movements of stock prices. Currency traders try to take advantage of even small fluctuations in exchange rates. In the foreign exchange market there is little or no 'inside information'. Exchange rate fluctuations are usually caused by actual monetary flows as well as anticipations on global macroeconomic conditions. Significant news is released publicly so, at least in theory, everyone in the world receives the same news at the same time. Currencies are traded against one another. Each pair of currencies thus constitutes an individual product and is traditionally noted XXX/YYY, where YYY is the ISO 4217 international three-letter code of the currency into which the price of one unit of XXX currency is expressed. For example, INR/USD is the price of the Indian rupees expressed in US dollars, as in Rs 1 = 0.0015 $. Foreign exchange reserves usually stores foreign currency and bonds held by the central banks of nations...
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