Explore How To Forecast FX Rates

Want to explore how to forecast FX rates? FX Initiative’s FX Market Overview course provides proven best practices and real world examples to help you forecast future exchange rate movements in the $5+ trillion daily FX market, the largest and most liquid market in the world. Get started with our foreign exchange risk management training, which provides 24/7 365 access to our complete suite of foreign exchange (FX) continuing professional education (CPE), examples and events at FXCPE.com. Start Training >

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Find Out 4 Ways Firms Manage FX Risk

Do you want to find out how firms manage FX risk? FX Initiative’s FX Risk Management course will teach you how to retain and reduce FX risk when conducting business internationally. Get started with our foreign exchange risk management training, which provides 24/7 365 access to our complete suite of foreign exchange (FX) continuing professional education (CPE), examples and events at FXCPE.com. Start Training >

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Learn Where to Look for FX Risk

Ready to learn where to look for FX risk? Get started with our foreign exchange risk management training, which provides 24/7 365 access to our complete suite of foreign exchange (FX) continuing professional education (CPE), examples and events at FXCPE.com. Start Training >

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FX Initiative: Your FX Risk Management Formula [𝑓𝑥+𝐶𝑃𝐸=𝑓𝑥𝐶𝑃𝐸.𝑐𝑜𝑚]

Are your finance, accounting and treasury teams ready to manage foreign exchange (FX) risk in 2019? Whether you are new to foreign exchange or a seasoned professional, follow FX Initiative for your FX risk management formula to optimize an actionable plan for managing currency risk.

FX Initiative is a leading provider of FX risk management training to finance, accounting and treasury professionals through educational videos, online tools, and webinar topics that are eligible for continuing professional education (CPE) credit and offered on-demand anytime and anywhere at FXCPE.com. Our training approach starts by identifying knowledge gaps using our Pre-Test Evaluation, and then closing those knowledge gaps with our on-demand educational videos, real-world examples, and live and recorded webinar events to create a comprehensive curriculum on currency risk management.

The organizations FX Initiative works with recognize the value of investing in training that enables employees to excel at their job responsibilities, and apply their professional development and knowledge for the benefit of the firm. We teach best practices for reducing FX gains and losses, preserving cash flows, and optimizing FX risk management strategies for revenues, expenses, receivables, payables, assets, liabilities, and equity. The benefit to the bottom line and increased understanding and communication of FX challenges and solutions is brought about through the following four essential stages of learning:

First, we ask challenging and critical questions global firms face, such as:

• How to manage currency risk?
• How to draft a FX risk policy?
• Where to look for FX risk exposures?
• What currency risks to hedge and how?
• Which strategies meet FX hedge objectives?
• What is the economic and accounting impact?

Second, we answer those questions in our CPE video courses, which include:

1. FX Market Overview
2. FX Risk Exposures
3. FX Risk Management
4. FX Spot & Derivatives
5. Hedging FX Transactions
6. Hedging Foreign Subsidiaries

Third, we reinforce concepts with CPE exams and interactive examples using our:

• Currency Code Locator
• FX Risk Policy Drafter
• FX Derivative Speculator
• FX Transaction Simulator
• FX Subsidiary Consolidator

Fourth, we present hands-on practical CPE webinars that cover the following topics:

1. FX Risk Management
2. FX Risk Policy
3. FX Forward Contracts
4. Balance Sheet Hedging
5. Cash Flow Hedging
6. Net Investment Hedging

Our approach ensures that topics are not only addressed in detail, but reinforced and practiced, enhancing confidence in your ability to implement and expand on your newly improved skills. All training content is available 24/7 365 to help you anytime and anywhere with FX risk policies, FX accounting, FX hedging strategies, and everything FX risk management related.  FX Initiative serves as a trusted partner and FX risk management resource to finance, accounting and treasury professionals with the goal of increasing collaboration and profitability.

Are you ready to manage FX risk?  Become a FX Initiative subscriber today to access our complete suite of foreign exchange (FX) continuing professional education (CPE), examples and events at FXCPE.com. Managing FX risk is a high priority for many firms in 2019, and it is now easier than ever to learn the fundamentals of currency risk management. You can reduce FX risk and reap rewards abroad by taking the FX Initiative for your international business today!

Click here to subscribe >

Cheers to your continued success in the new year,

The FX Initiative Team
support@fxinitiative.com

Happy Holidays from FX Initiative!

On behalf of FX Initiative - we thank you for your support, and wish you a happy holiday season and prosperous new year!

Attend the Net Investment Hedging webinar!

Explore the Zero Sum Game of FX Gains & Losses

Hedging foreign exchange risk can be viewed as a zero sum game, meaning that when one side of the hedge gains the other side loses. The degree by which those gains and losses do or do not perfectly offset depends on the derivative instrument, hedge coverage level, and strategy used. The FX hedge game isn't about winning or losing, it's about making the outcome more certain.

Balance sheet hedging is the most common practice among multinational corporations, and the goal is often to reduce foreign exchange gains and losses on the income statement to zero. The most effective way to largely achieve this goal is to hedge using a forward contract, which has a symmetrical payoff profile relative to the spot exchange rate, and to hedge 100% of the underlying exposure. However, even under this perfect scenario, there will still be residual FX gains and losses reported in earnings.

When companies hedge near 100% of their balance sheet exposures using forward contracts, controllers and treasurers often wonder why they are never able to achieve that zero sum outcome entirely. This is due to the forward point component of the forward rate on the derivative contract, and the fact that forward contracts are revalued based on forward rates compared to the underlying spot exposure, which is revalued based on spot exchange rates.

As a result, there will almost always be a difference in the "mark-to-market" accounting of a forward contract hedge and an underlying spot exposure. The only time this would not be the case is if interest rates were exactly equal for the countries or regions associated with the two currencies in the pair, which is highly uncommon. This is a typical area of frustration global corporations struggle with, and it highlights that understanding the accounting for underlying exposures and derivatives can clarify why there is a residual impact in earnings. Furthermore, it helps set realistic expectations as to what can be achieved when trying to play the zero sum game of FX hedging.

FX Initiative's Currency Risk Management Training covers balance sheet hedging in detail using Apple as an example to show how multinational corporations can hedge common exposures such as receivables and payables with forward contracts to mitigate foreign exchange gains and losses on the income statement. Our focus is on both the cash flow and financial reporting aspects of the hedge strategy, and we reinforce our teaching with visual displays of the economic and accounting ramifications.

If you are interested in learning how to hedge FX balance sheet exposures, forecasted transactions, and net investments in foreign subsidiaries, start your training today and explore our real world examples of all three scenarios. Furthermore, you can use our FX Transaction Simulator and Foreign Subsidiary Consolidator to customize your own risk model using company specific variables that reflect your actual exposures. Our video based curriculum puts academic theory into practice, and can help you and your team deliver more effective bottom line results in a time efficient manner. Take the FX Initiative for your organization by subscribing here.

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Cheers,

The FX Initiative Team
support@fxinitiative.com

Explore the powerful impact of professional development

Professional development in the workplace often refers to required employee training in areas such as workplace safety, corporate policies, and industry specific rules and regulations. While this training is commonplace in the corporate setting, it rarely provides value add to the employee or organization in terms of job performance and customer success.

FX Initiative's approach to professional development focuses on the employee first, and makes results personal and meaningful. We start by identifying knowledge gaps using our Pre-Test Evaluation, then we close those knowledge gaps with our on-demand educational videos, and we reinforce our learning concepts using real-world examples.

Professionals tasked with foreign exchange risk management often know their goals and objectives, but struggle with how to achieve them due to lack of training. Without dedicating time to the learning process and practicing what you've learned, it seems unrealistic to expect positive bottom line results and achievement of plans.

The organizations FX Initiative works with recognize that investing in quality training that directly relates to employee job responsibilities benefits both the employee and the bottom line. Not only are employees more knowledgeable and capable after completing our training, but they are able to apply their knowledge for the benefit of their customers and the firm.

FX training is a win-win outcome. FX sales teams are able to have deeper conversations with clients, gain a better understanding of problems and available solutions, and secure long-term relationships that are mutually beneficial to both parties. Treasury professionals are able to significantly reduce FX gains and losses, preserve cash flows from FX transactions, and articulate their results more clearly and confidently to senior management.

FX Initiative's Currency Risk Management Training provides an actionable and valuable plan for learning foreign exchange that helps FX sales teams collaborate more effectively with treasury professionals. FX service providers and global firms can take full advantage of our unique training opportunity by proactively investing in their employees and organizations. Professional development is no longer something to simply check off the list, it is now a necessity for global companies and their employees to remain competitive and profitable.

Ready to invest in professional development for your organization? Click here to take the FX Initiative!

Cheers,

The FX Initiative Team
support@fxinitiative.com

Attend the FX Risk Management webinar!

Program Overview This FX Risk Management webinar will address the fundamentals of corporate foreign exchange (FX) risk management. We begin with an overview of how leading multinational corporations manage foreign exchange risk. We will then address how FX risk impacts a corporation’s financial statements, including the Income Statement and Balance Sheet, and we will also highlight common disclosures found in annual reports (10-K). Furthermore, we’ll examine key terminology related to FX risk management, and define terms such as FX transaction, translation and economic risk. Finally, we will look at the essential elements of a world class corporate FX risk management program, with a focus on personnel, operations, resources, and policy. The goal of this program is to help global corporations understand the importance of FX risk management and how to assess their foreign exchange risk profile using a structured analysis framework. Learning Objectives Discover how leading multinational corporations manage foreign exchange (FX) risk. Explore FX risks on the Income Statement, Balance Sheet, and in annual reports (10-K). Recognize common FX terminology such as transaction, translation and economic risk. Identify essential elements of a world class corporate FX risk management program.   Who Should Attend? New and seasoned finance, accounting, treasury, and related professionals (CPA, CIA, CRMA, CFE, etc.) interested in international business. We look forward to your participation in this live program on Thursday, April 26 2018. Simply click here to register for the presentation! Register

Practice Pricing Foreign Exchange Option Contracts

Option contracts are financial contracts that give the buyer the right, not the obligation, to buy or sell a quantity of a particular currency at a specific exchange rate, called the strike rate, on or before a pre-arranged date. A call option is the right to buy a particular currency, and a put option is the right to sell a particular currency. An option is a right, not an obligation, so it will be exercised only when it is favorable to do so.

An option is comprised of two value drivers, (1) intrinsic value, which is the difference between the strike rate on the contract and the then prevailing spot rate in the market, and (2) time value, which is any excess value beyond intrinsic value related to time to maturity.

A purchased option begins its life as an asset in the amount of the option premium paid to the counterparty at inception, typically purely time value, and will expire with a either a positive intrinsic value or zero fair value. When intrinsic value is positive, it is referred to as “in the money” since the strike rate is more favorable than the spot rate, and when intrinsic value is zero is referred to as “at the money” if the strike rate is equal to the spot rate or “out of the money” if the strike rate is less favorable than the spot rate.

Options, when hedging, secure the value of an underlying position, providing 100% protection against unfavorable market moves beyond the strike rate, while retaining 100% participation in favorable market moves, which may justify the premium paid. Options tend to be used most frequently for longer dated exposures such as forecasted transactions, since the greater the timeframe, the greater the potential for the market to move materially, which creates greater potential to participate in favorable market movements.

Options are also attractive for scenarios where there is uncertainty the exposure will materialize, such as a bid to award contract or a forecasted acquisition, since an option is a right, not an obligation. Options provide a high degree of certainty and the greatest degree of flexibility, but are employed less frequently in practice when hedging due to the premium paid up front.

In order to price an option contract, a number of option pricing models can be used in the marketplace, but currency options are priced most often using the Garman-Kohlhagen option-pricing model. The Garman-Kohlhagen option-pricing model is a complex equation that takes into account the following six variables:

1. The spot foreign exchange rate
2. The interest rate on the base currency
3. The interest rate on the terms currency
4. The strike rate of the option
5. The time to expiration
6. The volatility of the currency pair.

To illustrate the concept of an option contract, this Foreign Exchange Derivative Speculator can model the economic and accounting aspects of both a put and a call option. The first step is to select a long position, which represents a call option to buy the currency, or a short position, which represents a put option to sell the currency. The next step is to enter the parameters of the trade, which includes specifying the currency pair, spot rate, trade date, expiration date, notional amount, and currency quoting convention.

In step 2, select an option contract as the foreign exchange derivative instrument, and enter the pricing variables outlined above, which include the domestic and foreign interest rates, the strike rate (which is the exchange rate that the option contract can be exercised at), and the volatility of the currency pair. You can change any of the option variables to instantly see the impact on the premium, or cost, of the option contract.

For example, adjusting the strike rate lower or higher will increase or decrease the premium of the option contract. Similarly, changing the level of implied volatility in the currency pair impacts the price of the option as well, whereby the more volatile the currency pair, the more expensive the option premium.

In step 3, the ending spot rate can be adjusted to see how changes in the spot rate on the expiration date impact the economic value of the option contract. This tool demonstrates how the option will only be exercised when the strike price is more favorable than the ending spot rate. If the ending spot rate is more favorable for buying or selling the currency than the strike rate, the option finishes "out of the money" such that the maximum loss on the contract is the premium paid. Conversely, if the ending spot rate is less favorable for buying or selling the currency than the strike rate, the option finishes "in the money" and equals a positive value.

You can practice pricing foreign exchange options using the Foreign Exchange Derivative Speculator to illustrate the economics and accounting of an option contract, both a put and a call, and to see how variables such as the option strike rate and implied volatility impact the premium or cost of the option at inception. Additionally, you can explore how options can finish "in the money" where a cash payment is received at maturity, or "out of the money" with a zero fair value where no further payment is required to settle the contract.

Take advantage of this unique learning resource to discover the three key distinguishing characteristics of vanilla option contracts, which include (1) the premium paid upfront, (2) the asymmetrical payoff profile relative to the spot foreign exchange rate, and (3) the lack of obligation to make a payment at maturity.

If you are interested in learning more about option contracts, sign up for FX Initiative's Currency Risk Management Training and benefit from our educational videos and interactive examples. Our course on Foreign Exchange Spot & Derivatives walks you through real-world examples of using derivative instruments, and leverages our Foreign Exchange Derivative Speculator to illustrate essential concepts. Foreign exchange options pricing can be complex, but our approach simplifies the academic theory and focuses on the practical application of using options to help your international organization achevei their foreign exchange risk management objectives.

Ready to practice pricing foreign exchange options? Click here to get started!

Cheers,

The FX Initiative Team
support@fxinitiative.com