The great bulk of swap activity of date has concentrated on currencies and interest rates, yet these do not exhaust the swap concept’s applicability. As one moves out the yield curve, the primary interest rate swap market becomes dominated by securities transactions and in particular the Eurodollar bond market. The advent of the swap market has meant that the Eurodollar bond market now never closes due to interest rate levels: issuers who would not come to market because of high interest rates now do so to the extent that a swap is available. Indeed, the Eurodollar bond market owes much of its spectacular growth to the parallel growth of its swap market. The firms that now dominate lead management roles in the Eurodollar bond market all have substantial swap capabilities and this trend will continue. One extension is seen in the beginning of the market for equity swaps- an exchange Continue reading
Forex Trading
RBI’s Role in Risk Management and Settlement of Transactions in the Foreign Exchange Market
The Indian Foreign Exchange (Forex) market is characterized by constant changes and rapid innovations in trading methods and products. While the innovative products and ways of trading create new possibilities for profit, they also pose various kinds of risks to the market. Central banks all over the world, therefore, have become increasingly concerned of the scale of foreign exchange settlement risk and the importance of risk mitigation measures. Behind this growing awareness are several events in the past in which foreign exchange settlement risk might have resulted in systemic risk in global financial markets, including the failure of Bankhaus Herstatt in 1974 and the closure of BCCI SA in 1991. The foreign exchange settlement risk arises because the delivery of the two currencies involved in a trade usually occurs in two different countries, which, in many cases are located in different time zones. This risk is of particular concern to Continue reading
Current Exchange Rate Regimes
An exchange rate is the price of one currency in terms of another currency. As in the case of any other goods, the price of a currency is affected by supply and demand. As demand for a currency increases (or supply decreases) its price will rise. This is referred as an appreciation. Conversely, as demand for a currency decreases, or supply increases, its value will depreciate. The prospect of large and rapid swings in exchange rates introduces uncertainty into the business environment. A well-functioning international monetary system ensures stability in the exchange rates. The central element of the international monetary system involves the arrangements by which exchange rates are set. The purpose of an exchange-rate system is to facilitate and promote international trade and finance. There have been three major exchange rate regimes from a historical perspective — Fixed Exchange Rates, Floating or Flexible Exchange Rates, and Managed Exchange Continue reading
Factors Determining Spot Exchange Rates in Forex Markets
It is the interplay of the forces of demand and supply that determines the exchange rate between two currencies in a floating rate regime. The exchange rate between, say, the rupee and US dollar depends upon the demand for US dollars and the supply of US dollars in the Indian foreign exchange market. The demand for foreign currency comes from individuals and firms who have to make payments to foreigners in foreign currency mostly on account of the import of goods and services and purchase of securities. The supply of foreign exchange results from the receipt of foreign currency normally on account of export or sale of financial securities to foreigners. Important Factors Determining Spot Exchange Rates 1. Balance of Payments: Balance of Payments represents the demand for and supply of foreign exchange which ultimately determine the value of the currency. Exports, both visible and invisible, represent the supply side Continue reading
Foreign Exchange Risk or FOREX Risk
Foreign Exchange dealing is a business that one get involved in, primarily to obtain protection against adverse rate movements on their core international business. Foreign Exchange dealing is essentially a risk-reward business where profit potential is substantial but it is extremely risky too. Foreign exchange business has the certain peculiarities that make it a very risky business. These would include: Forex deals are across country borders and therefore, often foreign currency prices are subject to controls and restrictions imposed by foreign authorities. Needless to say, these controls and restrictions are invariably dictated by their own domestic factors and economy. Forex deals involve two currencies and therefore, rates are influenced by domestic as well as international factors. The Forex market is a 24-hour global market and overseas developments can affect rates significantly. The Forex market has great depth and numerous players shifting vast sums of money. Forex rates therefore, can move Continue reading
Pricing of Futures Contracts Using Interest Rate Parity in Forex Trading
According to the interest rate parity theory, the currency margin is dependent mainly on the prevailing interest rate (for investment for the given time period) in the two currencies. The forward rate can be calculated by the following formula: F/S = (1+Rh)/ (1+Rf) Where, F and S are future and spot currency rate. Rh and Rf are simple interest rate in the home and foreign currency respectively. Alternatively, if we consider continuously compounded interest rate then forward rate can be calculated by using the following formula: F = S*e (rh- rf)*t Where, rh and rf are the continuously compounded interest rate for the home currency and foreign currency respectively, T is the time to maturity and e = 2.71828 (exponential). If the following relationship between the futures rate and the spot rate does not hold, then there will be an arbitrage opportunity in the market. This will force the futures Continue reading