13 March Done Your Derivative Due Diligence? March 13, 2017By FX Initiative FX Spot & Derivatives , Collars, Continuing Professional Education, CPE, Foreign Exchange, Forwards, Hedge, Options, Risk Management, FX 0 Foreign exchange risk management involves mitigating currency risk to an acceptable level by understanding when and how to hedge using financial instruments or derivatives. In order to effectively use currency derivatives to achieve foreign exchange risk management objectives, firms must recognize their differences and similarities and how they work in practice. While there are a large number of currency derivatives available in the marketplace, very few of these instruments are employed in routine foreign exchange risk management. The most common currency derivatives include forward contracts, vanilla options, and option combinations. By selecting a derivative from a hedge objective perspective, the confusion often experienced from the endless products available in the market can be avoided. The following introduction video to the "FX Spot & Derivatives" course addresses the three main learning objectives that are covered throughout this highly informative hour long educational program, which include (1) to explore the concept of forward contracts and recognize their forward point premium or discount and symmetrical payoff profile, (2) to explore the concept of option contracts and recognize their pricing variables and asymmetrical payoff profile, and (3) to explore the concept of option combinations and recognize how structures such as a zero cost collar create a unique payoff profile. Want full access? Click to subscribe today! If you are interested in learning more about foreign exchange spot & derivatives and how they are used in routine foreign exchange risk management, sign up for our Foreign Exchange Risk Management Training today and access our complete suite of foreign exchange (FX) continuing professional education (CPE), examples and events at FXCPE.com. Managing FX risk has become a higher priority for many firms for 2017 and it is now easier than ever to learn the fundamentals of currency risk management. Make this the year to reduce FX risk and reap rewards abroad by taking the FX Initiative for your international business today! Click here to start your FX Risk Management Training today! Cheers to your global organization's continued success in the new year, The FX Initiative Team support@fxinitiative.com Related Posts Due Diligence & Distinguishing FX Derivatives Due diligence is a term that commonly applies to a business investigation, and it contributes significantly to informed decision making by assessing the costs, benefits, and risks of a transaction. As due diligence relates to foreign exchange (FX) risk management, firms can enhance their strategic decision making process by assessing the costs, benefits, and risks associated with currency derivatives, and recognizing their differences and similarities when hedging foreign currency transactions. At the highest level, currency derivatives are financial contracts between two parties whose value is derived from the exchange rate of one or more underlying currencies. FX risk management involves mitigating currency risk to an acceptable level by understanding when and how to hedge using FX derivatives to achieve FX objectives. The first part of the FX risk management decision making process is determining a firm’s FX hedging objectives and strategy for achieving those objectives. The two most common FX risk management hedging objectives are (1) minimizing foreign exchange gains and losses in earnings and (2) preserving cash flows. The most common currency derivatives used in practice are (1) forward contracts, ... How to Compare Currency Derivatives & Credit Considerations Foreign exchange risk management involves the use of currency derivatives, which are financial contracts between two parties whose value is derived from the exchange rate of one or more underlying currencies. In order to use currency derivatives to achieve foreign exchange risk management objectives, companies must be able to deal or trade with a credit worthy counterparty such as a bank or financial institution. Counterparty credit risk is the risk that the counterparty to a contract does not perform, and is involved in any banking activity, including trading currency derivatives. Therefore, both parties in the transaction need to consider the financial condition of their counterparty by quantifying their creditworthiness. It can be helpful to compare key credit considerations between the three most common currency derivatives, which include forward contracts, vanilla options, and zero cost collars. Forward contracts involve the exchange of two currencies at an agreed upon rate on the date of the contract for settlement on a date more than two business days in the future. A forward contract will almost always finish in either an asset or liability position ... Learn Best Practice Accounting for FX Derivatives Foreign exchange accounting is a complex area of financial reporting that many global organizations struggle with. Adding to that complexity, companies engaged in foreign exchange risk management must also learn how to account for currency derivatives. While the specific accounting rules differ between generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) and international financial reporting standards (IFRS), the fundamental concepts are essential to understand when implementing foreign exchange risk management best practices for your international business. Companies that hedge foreign exchange risk often have two main objectives: (1) To minimize the Income Statement impact of fluctuating foreign exchange rates, and (2) to reduce the variability in functional currency equivalent cash flows resulting from foreign currency transactions. In order to achieve the objective of minimizing the Income Statement impact of fluctuating foreign exchange rates, it is important to first consider the accounting treatment for the underlying position, and then to align the accounting treatment for the FX derivative accordingly. At the highest level, companies can account for FX derivatives using “default” accounting treatment or “elective” accounting treatment. The “default accounting treatment requires that derivative gains ... Check Your FX Knowledge: Take Our Pre-Test Evaluation Are you a foreign exchange expert? Take the FX pre-test evaluation to see how you perform using our scoring brackets! 100% Excellent Job! Ready to earn your certification? 90% Good Start! Complete your FX Risk Management Training! 80% About Average. Let’s close your FX knowledge gaps! <70% Room for Improvement! It’s time to take the FX Initiative! Whether you’re an experienced professional or brand new to foreign exchange, FX Initiative’s Currency Risk Management Training helps you learn currency risk management best practices using a video based on-demand format with real-world examples. Complete your FX training today in 4 simple steps: Select Your FX Risk Management Training Program Complete Your FX Risk Management Training Education Track Your FX Risk Management Training Progress Download Your Certificate of Completion Ready to take the FX Initiative? Click here to get started! Cheers, The FX Initiative Team support@fxinitiative.com FX Initiative: Your FX Risk Management Formula [šš„+š¶ššø=šš„š¶ššø.ššš] Are your finance, accounting and treasury teamsĀ ready toĀ manage foreign exchange (FX) risk in 2019? Whether you areĀ new to foreign exchange or a seasonedĀ professional, follow FX InitiativeĀ for your FX risk management formula to optimizeĀ 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 forĀ continuing professional education (CPE) creditĀ and offered on-demand anytime and anywhere at FXCPE.com. Our training approach starts by identifyingĀ knowledge gaps using our Pre-Test Evaluation, and thenĀ closing thoseĀ knowledge gaps with our on-demand educational videos,Ā real-world examples, and live and recorded webinar eventsĀ 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 reducingĀ FX gains and losses, preservingĀ cash flows, and optimizing FX risk managementĀ strategies forĀ revenues, expenses, receivables, payables, assets, liabilities, and equity. The benefit to the bottom line andĀ increased understanding ... How to Price Cryptocurrency (Bitcoin) Derivatives? Bitcoin (BTC) broke through to a record high of $11,831 over the weekend as volatility in the cryptocurrency continues to rise. Amidst these large and recent price fluctuations, the CME Group (Chicago Mercantile Exchange & Chicago Board of Trade) announced that its new bitcoin futures contract will be available for trading on December 18, 2017. While the valuation of traditional currency and equity derivatives is well established among professionals working in the financial industry, the introduction of the first cryptocurrency bitcoin derivative poses valuation questions as it relates to a new pricing model. Simply put, how are cryptocurrency derivatives priced? Financial engineering is a continuously evolving discipline designed to introduce and test new products, pricing models and hypotheses. Currently, equity futures are typically priced using variables such and the risk free interest rate and dividends, and currency forwards are priced based on the foreign and domestic interest rate differential between the two currencies in the pair. Additionally, equity options are typically priced using the Black–Scholes option pricing model, and currency options are priced using the Garman–Kohlhagen option pricing model. All ... Comments are closed.