A fixed (or pegged) exchange rate system is one where governments or central banks set official exchange rates and defend the set rates through foreign exchange market intervention and monetary polices. Under this system, the currency is pegged to another currency (or basket of currencies) and the central bank promises to exchange currency at a specified rate against the other currency. Each central bank actively buys or sells its currency in foreign exchange market whenever its exchange rate threatens to deviate from its stated par value by more than an agreed-upon percentage. For example, India pegs its Rupee to the U.S. dollar at a rate of 45 rupee per dollar. The Reserve Bank of India(RBI) must always be willing to buy rupee with dollars or to buy dollars with rupee in any amount at the fixed rate of 45 rupee per dollar. Otherwise, there could be excess supply of or 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.
Exchange Rate Regimes: International Gold Standard (1875- 1914)
Though in Great Britain currency notes from the Bank of England were made fully redeemable for gold during 1821, the first full-fledged gold standard was adopted by France in 1878. Later on United States adopted it in 1879 and Russia and Japan in 1897, Switzerland, and many Scandinavian countries by 1928. An international Gold Standard is said to exist when; Gold alone is assured of unrestricted coinage There is a two way convertibility between gold and national currencies at a stable ratio And gold may be freely imported and exported. In order to support unrestricted convertibility into gold, bank notes need to be backed by gold reserve of a minimum stated ratio. In addition, the domestic money stock should rise and fall as gold flows in and out of the country. In a version called Gold Specie Standard, the actual currency in circulation consists of gold coins with Continue reading
Asset Swaps
Unlike interest rate swaps and basis rate swaps discussed earlier, in which cash flows of debt obligation were changed, asset swaps are used to change the characteristics of an asset. For example, an investor with a ten year fixed Japanese yen bond may decide to enter into a currency swap to change his investment income into US dollar. The investor may feel that the Japanese yen will lose its value against the US dollar and would like to change his income into US dollar. Assume the current five year swap rate for US$ versus Japanese Yen to be 6.45-6.50%. The coupon rate of the investor’s bond is 7.00% and the bond has five years remaining. The investor can exchange his 50 bps Japanese Yen payments at the spot market as an extra income above LIBOR or have the dealer manage that risk as well. At the maturity date, the Continue reading
International Taxation
For the worldwide/global operation of firms, taxation plays a vital role. International taxation has become the core of various financing decisions which includes international investment decisions, international working capital decisions, fund raising decisions and the decisions related to dividend and other payments. The tax decision is also relevant in domestic firms also. The managing of taxation is an extremely difficult issue for the international corporations. The various reasons are given as follows: The firms are supposed to work in several tax jurisdiction or authorities where the tax rates are diverse and also the administration of the tax system is not uniform. The ultimate load of tax in the framework of international firms is determined by means of a more complex interaction of varying descriptions of the tax base. The difference in tax treatment in different nations will direct to distortions in worldwide trade and investment. The companies which are situated Continue reading
The Role of Asset Securitization in Financial Crisis
The financial crisis showed its first signs in the first quarter of 2006 when the housing market turned. A number of subprime mortgages, that were designed with a high interest payment began to default. Many of the loans were highly risky and only possible due to the clever creation of products like “2/28” and “3/27” adjustable rate mortgages (ARMs). These loans offered a fixed rate for the first two or three years, and then adjustable rates for the remaining twenty- eight or twenty-seven years, respectively. After the first two or three years, the adjustment of rates would be substantial enough as to be unaffordable for the subprime borrowers; thus, the mortgages were designed to be refinanced. But for the most part, this would be possible for subprime borrowers only if the collateral on the loan had increased in value, otherwise, they would default. Because these mortgages were all originated around Continue reading
Concept of ‘Fear of Floating’
In the modern era, many countries claim to be running a floating exchange rate. However, many of these countries actively limit fluctuation in the external value of their national monies. This behaviour has been dubbed “fear of floating”, several reasons exist for it. Firstly, there is the ‘original sin’ problem. Many emerging economies are unable to borrow overseas in their domestic currency. This leads to an accumulation of foreign debt liabilities that are unhedged. If there is a sharp depreciation in these nations’ exchange rate, the domestic currency value of their external debt will be altered and thus their economies net worth will also change. Secondly, policymakers in emerging markets suffer from a chronic lack of credibility. The economies may therefore experience large and frequent shocks to exchange rate expectations or to interest rate risk premiums. To gain confidence and credibility, the authorities who set the interest rate will therefore Continue reading