How to Hedge FX For Rising Interest Rates

There is a growing need for financial institutions and corporations to better hedge their exposure to interest rate risk. The need comes from the fact that businesses and markets cannot reduce their exposures to interest rate fluctuations; rather, they must cover their risk with positions in interest rate derivatives.

Why is Interest Rate Changes Important to Follow?

Interest rate changes are key determinants of currency fluctuations. The reason is that interest rates are usually different between countries. It is common to observe a positive correlation between short-term interest rates and currency rates. However, there is a growing debate about the validity of the theory, based on which the current interest rates would influence currency rates.

The theory assumes that the two interest rates are equal to each other, and this is the implicit assumption behind the theory of purchasing power parity (PPP). However, empirical evidence shows that the original theorem does not hold.

There are several reasons for this: (i) PPP is a descriptive rather than a predictive theory; (ii) in addition to current interest rates, expectations about future interest rates and current and future currency prices also influence currency rates; (iii) the interest rate parity assumes that capital is not mobile whereas there is an increasing trend towards highly mobile capital in the international financial markets.

The interest rate parity theorem says that the two rates are equal to each other, and the exchange rate is equal to the difference in the interest rates.

What Does Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) Mean?

Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) is an economic theory that measures the currencies of a specific country by comparing the prices of their goods. The theory is based on the assumption that a basket of goods is identical in every respect between two countries.

In reality, however, they may differ in terms of quality, size, or other factors. Therefore, the prices of goods between the countries may be different, even when they are priced at the same currency value. PPP therefore cannot be applied on its own. In the presence of differences in the basket of goods, PPP is not applicable.

In general, changes in interest rates impact the price of currencies, especially in the case of short-term interest rates.

What is Interest Rate Parity (IRP)?

The expected change in the exchange rate is the present value of the expected change in the exchange rate in the future. The present value of the expected change in the exchange rate may be positive, zero, or negative. A positive value indicates an increase in the expected value of the exchange rate in the future.

A negative value indicates a decrease in the expected value of the exchange rate in the future. A zero value indicates no expected change in the exchange rate in the future. In this case, it is expected that the current exchange rate will continue to change at the same rate as it has been in the past.

Generally, it is a no-arbitrage condition that shows the equilibrium state of interest rates in a different country's bank deposits.

The Demand for Hedging to Survive in the Volatile Foreign Exchange Market

The foreign currency market is an extremely volatile market. It is characterized by sharp fluctuations in the exchange rate, which is due to the high degree of liquidity in the foreign currency market.

An investor or a trader in the foreign currency market has to face a number of risks. It is important for an investor to hedge against the risk of adverse movements in the exchange rate.

The foreign exchange market can be extremely volatile, especially due to the fact that the market is a zero-sum game.

There is a growing need for financial institutions and corporations to better hedge their exposure to interest rate risk. The need comes from the fact that businesses and markets cannot reduce their exposures to interest rate fluctuations; rather, they must cover their risk with positions in interest rate derivatives.

Hedging Against Interest Rate Changes

There are several reasons behind the need to hedge interest rate exposure. The purpose of hedging is to eliminate the risk of any loss that could result from interest rate fluctuations.

The most common reasons are: (i) a company has an investment project in a foreign country; (ii) a company is an exporter and importer, and it experiences cash inflows and outflows; (iii) a company wants to take advantage of the high-interest rate in a foreign country.

A company can hedge its exposure to interest rate fluctuations by: (i) borrowing money in a foreign country, with a higher interest rate, and investing it where the interest rate is lower; (ii) borrowing money in a foreign currency, with a lower interest rate, and investing it in the currency of the country in which the interest rates are higher.

Financial derivatives allow corporate treasurers to reduce their exposures to market risks in a cost-effective manner.

With currency derivatives, corporate treasurers can reduce their exposure to interest rate risks by hedging their currency exposures with currency derivatives.

Exchange rate changes are important indicators of the performance of international companies and their investors. Financial markets react to these changes by adjusting the values of companies’ stock prices.

For example, an increase in the interest rates would cause the value of a company’s stock shares to decrease. A decrease in the interest rates would cause the value of the company’s stock shares to increase.

Defining Dynamic Hedging: Rebalancing Hedge Positions as Market Conditions Continue to Change

A dynamic hedge is a strategy used in foreign exchange markets. Dynamic hedging is a strategy that consists of rebalancing the hedge position as market conditions continue to change. Rebalancing occurs when a company wants to maintain its exposure to the risk factor that it is hedging.

There are a number of reasons why companies want to use dynamic hedging: (i) rebalancing effectively protects the value of the hedge position against adverse price changes; (ii) rebalancing is necessary to ensure that the hedge position is hedging the exposure to a price change in the underlying asset; (iii) rebalancing is necessary to ensure that a company is maintaining its exposure to inflation, interest rates, and exchange rates.

The effectiveness of a dynamic hedge depends on the size of a company's exposure to a particular risk factor. If a company wants to hedge its exposure to an asset price, an inflation rate, or an interest rate, the company needs to maintain its position in the derivatives.

Automating Solutions for FX Risks: The Benefits of Dynamic Hedging for Capturing Growth Opportunities

The need for dynamic hedging is due to the fact that: (i) the volatility in FX markets is high; (ii) the market is not liquid; (iii) the need for rebalancing.

There are several benefits of dynamic hedging: (i) dynamic hedging is based on an automated solution; (ii) the solution is not time-consuming; (iii) the dynamic hedge FX solution helps companies to reduce the cost of hedging; (iv) the solution manages and optimizes the risk exposure of a company; (v) dynamic hedging is based on risk management principles; (vi) dynamic hedging reduces the risk of a company’s financial performance.

Interest rates are usually different between countries. It is common to observe a positive correlation between short-term interest rates and currency rates. However, there is a growing debate about the validity of the theory, based on which the current interest rates would influence currency rates.

Generally, dynamic hedging aims to help businesses reach their risk management goals by managing market price volatility.

The Importance of Hedging Amidst a Crisis

Financial crises can threaten the financial stability of a country. In addition to that, a financial crisis can have a significant impact on the economies of other countries. There is a growing need to develop financial solutions that can help reduce the risk of financial crises.

In the past, financial crises have had an important impact on the economies of several countries. The years 2007-2008 had a devastating impact on the financial markets worldwide. The crisis started in the United States and then spread to other countries, including the European Union.

Within the past 10 years, the ongoing financial crisis has demonstrated the importance of financial solutions, including dynamic hedging, for managing the risk of financial crises. The need for dynamic hedging has increased significantly since the start of the financial crisis.

The Importance of Dynamic Hedging for Investors and Corporations

The use of dynamic hedging not only reduces the financial risk of corporations but also helps companies to strengthen their performance and achieve their risk management objectives through hedging.

The use of dynamic hedging helps companies to: (i) hedge their exposure to exchange rates, interest rates, and inflation rates; (ii) eliminate the risk of financial volatility; (iii) reduce the risk of rebalancing; (iv) manage their risk exposure; (v) achieve their hedging objectives; (vi) maintain the level of risk exposure that they want.

How Dynamic Hedging Goes a Step Above Static Hedging

Dynamic hedging goes a step above static hedging. Static hedging is a risk management solution that requires companies to hedge their FX exposure to the exchange rate, interest rate, and inflation risks.

Static hedging requires a company to establish and maintain a hedge position in the derivatives market. Once the hedge position is established, the company is required to rebalance its position periodically.

Static hedging is based on two market values: the current market value and the forward price. The forward price is the price at which a derivative contract can be entered into or exited from.

The need for dynamic hedging comes from the fact that foreign exchange markets are: (i) volatile; (ii) not liquid; (iii) subject to changes in their behavior, which can be very significant; (iv) the need to rebalance positions, in order to maintain the exposure to risk factors that firms want to cover; (v) the cost of hedging.

Pricing Put Options and Dynamic Hedging

Banks and other financial institutions may use dynamic hedging to reduce their risks against the foreign exchange market. With that in mind, put pricing is at the heart of dynamic hedging, wherein banks and other financial institutions can use put options to hedge their FX risk exposure.

What are the Pricing Put Options on Foreign Currency?

Put options are a type of derivative instrument. A derivative is an instrument through which parties do not trade in the actual underlying asset. Derivatives derive their value from the price of the underlying asset.

Because derivatives are not traded on the underlying assets, derivatives allow parties to speculate on the price of the underlying asset.

Derivatives are widely used in the market for: (i) trade of assets that are difficult to trade; (ii) trade of assets that have limited liquidity in the market; (iii) trade of assets that have an uncertain price; (iv) trade of assets that have no price; (v) trade of assets that have no market.

Here are some formulas to keep in mind:

For the value of the put option:

Pt=−[1−N(d1)]exp[−rDMT]S+[1−N(d2)]exp[−r$T]X(1)

For the value of the normal distribution:

d1={ln(S/X)+(r$−rDM+σ2/2)T}/σ√T,(2)

The Realities of Implementing the Dynamic Hedge: Entering a Swap Contract

Financial institutions that want to use dynamic hedging are often required to use a swap contract. A swap contract requires the financial institution to exchange payments with the other party of the contract.

There are numerous benefits of using a swap contract: (i) reduces the risk of exchange rate; (ii) allows for the exchange of payments with different financial institutions; (iii) allows for the exchange of payments between the financial institution and the other party of the contract; (iv) enables the financial institution to make payments in any currency it wants.

In practice, a swap contract: (i) is a contract between two parties; (ii) can be used for a set period of time; (iii) requires the financial institution to make payments to the other party of the contract in exchange for receiving payments from the other party of the contract; (iv) does not involve the delivery of the underlying asset.

The Bottom Line: The Role of Interest Rate Changes and Using Dynamic Hedging as a Risk Management Solution

Financial institutions are required to manage the risks that come with their derivative market positions. Financial institutions use dynamic hedging to manage the risks that come with their derivative positions.

Financial institutions have huge exposure to the risk of the exchange rate, interest rate, and inflation rate. That is why financial institutions need to hedge their risks.

The role of interest rate changes in dynamic hedging is to ensure that companies do not lose exposure to market price volatility. By entering into a swap contract, financial institutions will be able to reduce their exposure to interest rate changes.

How Can We Help You?

Bound is an auto hedging platform designed to make currency protection better and more effective for various industries. If you're interested in currency protection for businesses, reach out to us today!

With Bound, you can effectively manage your FX risk and generate greater returns with a layered hedging strategy. Our platform allows you to quickly access the market and analyze your potential profit at any given time. You can make adjustments to your pricing strategy to fit your needs and protect your risk exposure.

‍