Exchange Rate Problem

 

 

 

 

 

You are the treasurer of a large American firm which does business in Europe.

 

 

You currently have some things to take care of and some problems to solve.

 

 

Your firm has "Eurocurrency deposits"  (bank accounts)  of all major currencies.

 

 

You arrive at work and turn on the terminal on your desk, and find the following :

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Exhange Rates

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

spot

1mo fwd

6mos fwd

 

 

 

 

Pound*

1.6000

1.5940

1.5670

 

 

 

 

Swiss Franc

2.0000

1.9975

1.9870

 

 

 

 

Euro

1.1000

1.1016

1.1108

 

 

 

 

*American Terms -- others in European Terms

 

 

 

 

Euro-Pound (spot cross rate):

 

1.749

(E PER 1 POUND)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Eurocurrency  Interest Rates (annual rates)*

 

 

 

 

 

1 month

1 month

6 mos

6 mos

 

 

 

 

depos. rate

lending rt.

depos. rate

lending rt.

 

 

 

Dollar

5.0000

5.1000

4.9000

5.0000

 

 

 

Pound

10.0000

10.3000

9.6000

9.8000

 

 

 

Swiss Franc

4.0000

4.1000

3.9500

4.0000

 

 

 

Euro

7.0000

7.1000

7.1000

7.2000

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*interest = amount x annual rate x fraction of year

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Problems:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1.  To sell SFM 500.00 forward 1 month for dollars, what will be the proceeds?

 

 

2.  Beginning with $100,000.00, consided the potential for triangular arbitrage, converting first

 

to euros, then to pounds and back to dollars.  What will be the profit?

 

 

 

3.  You need to hedge** against the foreign exchange risk of accepting a SF payment of

 

SF10,000.00

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Assume the SF10,000.00 payment will be made to you in one month.

 

 

 

Work out  each of the three options available to  you.  Figure the proceeds in one month,

 

each way.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You can use the forward exchange rate, you can resort to temporarily withdrawing from a

 

 Eurocurrency account, or you can borrow in the Eurocurrency market.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

** The idea here is that you want to protect against the possibility of the Swiss Franc

 

 

falling in value  before the payment is received and converted to dollars.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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