International financial markets provide links connecting the financial markets of each country and independent markets external to the authority of any one country. The heart of the international financial market is being governed by the currency market where the foreign currency is denominated by the international trade and investment. Hence the purchase of goods and services is preceded by the purchase of currency. The following are the reasons given for the enormous growth in the trading of foreign currency: Deregulation of international capital flows – Without the major government restrictions, itis extremely simple to move the currencies and capital around the globe. Gain in technology and transaction cost efficiency — The advancements in technologyis not only taking place in the distribution of information, in addition to the performance of exchange or trading. This has resulted greatly to the capacity of individuals on these markets to accomplish instantaneous arbitrage. Market upswings Continue reading
International Finance
International finance is the branch of economics that studies the dynamics of foreign exchange,foreign direct investment and how these affect international trade. Also studies the international projects, international investment and the international capital flow .International Finance can be broadly defined, as the study of the financial decisions taken by a multinational corporation in the area of international business i.e. global corporate finance. International finance draws much of its background from the preliminary studies in the topics of corporate finance such as capital budgeting, portfolio theory and cost of capital but now viewed in the international dimension.
The concept of Forfeiting in Export Finance
Forfeiting is a mechanism of financing exports. By discounting export receivables Evidenced by bills of exchange or promissory notes Without recourse to the seller (viz. exporter) Carrying medium to long term maturities On a fixed rate basis (discount) Upto 100 percent of the contract value. The word `forfeit’ is derived from the French word `a forfeit’ which means the surrender of rights. Simply put, Forfeiting is the non-recourse discounting of export receivables. In a forfeiting transaction, the exporter surrenders, without recourse to him, his rights to claim for payment on goods delivered to an importer, in return for immediate cash payment from a forfeiter. As a result, an exporter in India can convert a credit sale into a cash sale, with no recourse to the exporter or his banker. Concept of forfeiting: 1. What exports are eligible for forfeiting? All exports of capital goods and other goods made on medium Continue reading
International Fisher Effect
According to the Relative Version of Purchasing Power Parity Theory (PPP) one of the factors leading to change in exchange rate between currencies is inflation in the respective countries. As long as the inflation rate in the two countries remains equal, the exchange rate between the currencies would not be affected. When a difference or deviation arises in the inflation levels of the two countries, the exchange rate would be adjusted to reflect the inflation rate differential between the countries. The International Fisher Effect (IFE) theory is an important concept in the fields of economics and finance that links interest rates, inflation and exchange rates. Similar to the Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) theory, IFE attributes changes in exchange rate to interest rate differentials, rather than inflation rate differentials among countries. Nominal interest rates would automatically reflect differences in inflation by a purchasing power parity or no-arbitrage system. The two theories Continue reading
Note Issuance Facility (NIF)
Note Issuance Facility (NIF) offers a good mix of capital market and syndicated loan operations. Note Issuance Facility is a usual medium term, floating rate, funding instrument – it is a long-term position for the investor who has shifted their performance for short term in view of the country risks of some less developed countries. NIF is a medium term arrangement under which borrowers can issue short term papers (called a Euro note) with the underwriting support of the commercial banks. The different names given to these main facilities with some variation in its terms are revolving underwriting facility(RUF), short-term note issuance facility (SNIP), transferable revolving underwriting facility (TRUF) and Note Purchase Facility (NPF). Note Issuance Facility is the legally binding commitments of the underwriting banks to support funding for a period of say, five years. Mechanism and Documentation of Note Issuance Facility (NIF) The issuer of Note Issuance Facility Continue reading
Factoring Concept in Export Finance
What is Factoring? Factoring is a financial transaction whereby a business sells its accounts receivable (i.e., invoices) to a third party (called a factor) at a discount in exchange for immediate money with which to finance continued business. Factoring differs from a bank loan in three main ways. First, the emphasis is on the value of the receivables (essentially a financial asset), not the firm’s credit worthiness. Secondly, factoring is not a loan – it is the purchase of a financial asset (the receivable). Finally, a bank loan involves two parties whereas factoring involves three. The three parties directly involved are: the one who sells the receivable, the debtor, and the factor. The receivable is essentially a financial asset associated with the debtor’s Liability to pay money owed to the seller (usually for work performed or goods sold). The seller then sells one or more of its invoices (the receivables) Continue reading
Spot and Forward Foreign Exchange Rates
There are two types of foreign exchange rates, namely the spot rate and forward rates ruling in the foreign exchange market. The spot rate of exchange refers to the rate or price in terms of home currency payable for spot delivery of a specified type of foreign exchange. The forward rate of exchange refers to the price at which a transaction will be consummated at some specified time in future. In modern times the system of forward rate of foreign exchange has assumed great importance in affecting the international capital movements and foreign exchange banks play an important role in this respect by matching the purchases and sales of forward exchange on the part of would be importers and would be exporters respectively. The system of forward foreign exchange rate has actually been developed to minimize risks resulting from the possibility of fluctuations over time in the spot exchange rate Continue reading