Professional Documents
Culture Documents
International Finance
Dr. A. DeMaskey
Learning Objectives
What are currency futures contacts? How are they quoted, valued, and used for hedging purposes? How do currency futures differ from currency forwards? What are currency option contracts? How are they quoted, valued, and used for hedging purposes?
Financial management in the 21st century needs to consider the use of financial derivatives These derivatives, so named because their values are derived from the underlying asset, are a powerful tool used for two distinct management objectives:
Speculation Hedging
In the wrong hands, derivatives can cause a corporation to collapse (Barings, Allied Irish Bank), but used wisely they allow a financial manager the ability to plan cash flows The financial manager must first understand the basics of the structure and pricing of these tools. The derivatives that will be discussed are:
It calls for future delivery of a standard amount of currency at a fixed time and price. These contracts are traded on exchanges with the largest being the International Monetary Market located in the Chicago Mercantile Exchange.
Contract Specifications
Contract size Method of stating exchange rate Maturity dates Last trading date
Trading Regulation Frequency of delivery Size of contract Delivery date Settlement Pricing
Quotes Transaction costs Collateral Credit risk Clearing Operation Location Liquidity
A foreign currency option is a contract giving the option holder the right, but not the obligation, to buy or sell a given amount of foreign exchange at a fixed price per unit for a specified time period.
Strike or exercise price Option premium The underlying or actual spot rate in the market
Market Structure
Main advantage is that they are tailored to purchaser Counterparty risk exists Mostly used by individuals and banks The Chicago Mercantile Philadelphia Stock Exchange Options Clearinghouse Corporation (OCC)
Organized Exchanges
Users
Hedging Speculating
Intrinsic Value is the amount by which an option is in-the-money. Time Value is the amount by which an options value exceeds its intrinsic value.
Strike price relative to the spot exchange rate Time to maturity Relative interest rates between the two currencies Volatility of underlying currency Supply and demand for specific option
Online Application
Visit the Commodity Futures Trading Commission at http://www.cftc.gov/. The Options Clearing Corporation at http://www.optionsclearing.com/ The Chicago Mercantile Exchange provides current and historical futures and option prices at http://www.cme.com/prices/index.cfm. The Chicago Board Options Exchange at http://www.cboe.com, and The London International Financial Futures and Options Exchange at www.liffe.com.