CHAPTER 9

MANAGING TRANSACTION EXPOSURE AND ECONOMIC EXPOSURE

CHAPTER OUTLINE

I. Basic Nature of Foreign Exchange Exposures

a) Exposure management strategy
(1) Forecast the degree of exposure
(2) Develop a reporting system to monitor exposure and exchange rate
movements
(3) Assign responsibility for hedging exposure
(4) Select appropriate hedging tools
b) Transaction exposure
c) Economic exposure
d) Comparison of the three exposures

II. Transaction Exposure Management

a) Forward market hedge
b) Money-market hedge
c) Options-market hedge
d) Swap-market hedge
(1) Options versus forward contracts
(2) Cross hedging
d) Swap agreements
(1) Currency swaps
(2) Credit swaps
(3) Interest rate swaps
(4) Back-to-back loans

III. Economic Exposure Management

a) Diversified production
b) Diversified marketing
c) Diversified financing
d) Summary of economic exposure management

IV. Currency Exposure Management Practices

a) Relative importance of different exchange exposures
b) Use of hedging techniques by MNCs
b) A maturity mismatch in MGRM's oil futures hedge

V. Summary

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CHAPTER OBJECTIVE

Chapter 9 discusses the basic nature of foreign exchange exposure and explains how both
transaction and economic exposure can be measured and hedged. This chapter also
presents the exchange risk management instruments which are used by MNCs to hedge
these risks. A maturity mismatch in a German firm’s oil futures hedge is presented as an
example of the riskiness of these hedges.

KEY TERMS AND CONCEPTS

Foreign exchange exposure refers to the possibility that a firm will gain or lose due to
changes in exchange rates.

Operational techniques are operational approaches to hedging exchange exposure that

include diversification of a company’s operations, the balance sheet hedge, and exposure
netting.

Financial instruments are financial contracts to hedging exchange exposure that include
currency forward and futures contracts, currency options, and swap agreements.

Transaction exposure refers to the potential change in the value of outstanding

obligations due to changes in the exchange rate between the inception of a contract and
the settlement of the contract.

Economic exposure, also called operating exposure, competitive exposure, or revenue

exposure, measures the impact of an exchange rate change on the net present value of
expected future cash flows from a foreign investment project.

Forward exchange-market hedge involves the exchange of one currency for another at
a fixed rate on some future date to hedge transaction exposure.

Money-market hedge involves a loan contract and a source of funds to carry out that
contract in order to hedge transaction exposure.

Swap-market hedge involves an exchange of cash flows in two different currencies

between two companies.

Cross hedge is a technique designed to hedge exposure in one currency by the use of
futures or other contracts on another currency that is correlated with the first currency.

Currency swap is an agreement between two parties to exchange local currency for hard
currency at a specified future date.

Credit swap is a simultaneous spot and forward loan transaction between a private
company and a bank of a foreign country.

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Interest rate swap is a technique where companies exchange cash flows of a floating
rate for cash flows of a fixed rate, or exchange cash flows of a fixed rate for cash flows of
a floating rate.

ANSWERS TO END-OF-CHAPTER QUESTIONS

1. Explain the conditions under which items and/or transactions are exposed to
foreign exchange risks.

Items and/or transactions are said to be exposed if the following two conditions
are met: (1) they are denominated in foreign currencies and (2) they are translated
at the current exchange rate.

2. This chapter has discussed transaction exposure and economic exposure. Briefly
explain each of these two types of exposure.

Transaction exposure measures the effect of an exchange-rate change on

outstanding obligations which existed before exchange rates changed but were
settled after the exchange-rate change. Economic exposure measures the impact
of an exchange-rate change on the net present value of expected future cash flows
from a foreign investment project. Both transaction and economic exposures
involve actual or potential cash-flow changes.

3. How should appreciation of a company's home currency affect its cash inflows?
How should depreciation of a company's home currency affect its cash inflows?

Appreciation of a company's home currency should reduce inflows because it will

reduce foreign demand for the company's products and increase foreign
competition. Depreciation of a company's home currency should increase inflows
because it will increase foreign demand for the company's products and reduce
foreign competition.

4. What should management do to protect assets adequately against risks from

exchange rate fluctuations?

Management must forecast the degree of exposure, develop a reporting system to

monitor exposure and exchange rate movements, assign responsibility for hedging
exposure, and select appropriate hedging tools.

5. What are the two major types of hedging tools?

They are operational techniques and financial instruments. Operational techniques

are operational approaches to hedging exchange exposure that include
diversification of a company’s operations, the balance sheet hedge, and exposure

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 netting. Financial instruments are financial contracts to hedging exchange
exposure that include currency forward and futures contracts, currency options,
and swap agreements.

6. Which exposure is more difficult to manage--transaction exposure or economic

exposure?

Economic exposure is more difficult to manage because it covers the entire life of
a foreign investment project and all aspects of a company’s operations.
Transaction exposure is easier to manage because it covers a specific period of
time and specific contracts. Table 9-1 reveals other reasons why economic
exposure is more difficult to manage than transaction exposure.

7. How could a US company hedge net payables in Japanese yen in terms of forward
and options contracts?

The US company could buy yen forward and call options, which provide for yen
to be received in exchange for dollars at a specified exchange rate for a specified
future date.

8. How could a US company hedge net receivables in Japanese yen in terms of

forward and options contracts?

The US company could sell yen forward and buy put options, which provide for
dollars to be received in exchange for yen at a specified exchange rate for a
specified future date.

9. Are there any special situations where options contracts are better than forward
contracts or vice versa?

When the quantity of a foreign-currency cash flow is known, forward contracts

are better than options contracts. On the other hand, when the quantity of a
foreign-currency cash flow is unknown, options contracts are better than forward
contracts.

10. What are the major problems of economic exposure management?

There are two major problems in economic exposure management. First,

economic exposure management must cover the entire life of a foreign investment
project. Second, economic exposure management must cover all aspects of
business operations, such as the factors market, the product market, and the
finance market.

11. What is the basic purpose of economic exposure management?

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 The basic purpose of economic exposure management is to neutralize the impact
of unexpected exchange-rate changes on net cash flows because there are no
economically justifiable hedging methods.

12. How do most companies deal with their economic exposure?

Most companies use strategic methods such as diversified production, diversified

marketing, and diversified financing. The biggest problem with the diversification
strategy is the loss of economies of scale.

ANSWERS TO END-OF-CHAPTER PROBLEMS

1. A US company negotiated a forward contract to buy 100,000 British pounds in 90

days. The company was supposed to use the 100,000 pounds to buy British
supplies. The 90-day forward rate was $1.40 per pound. On the day the pounds
were delivered in accordance with the forward contract, the spot rate of the pound
was $1.44. What was the real cost of hedging the pound payables in this example?

The cost of forward-market hedging = $1.40 x 100,000 $140,000

The cost of unhedging = $1.44 x 100,000 = $144,000

The real cost of hedging = $140,000 - $144,000 = -$4,000

2a. Boeing would receive $1.4 million (840 million ÷ 600), some $200,000 more than
the expected $1.2 million.

2b. Boeing would receive $840,000 (840 million ÷ 1,000), some $360,000 less than
the amount expected.

3a. Profit after taxes S$25 million

Depreciation 5 million
Cash flows from operation S$30 million

Postdevaluation (S$1.50/$) S$30 million = $20 million

Predevaluation (S$2.00/$) S$30 million = 15 million
Potential exchange gain $ 5 million

3b. Total gain = $5 million x 3 = $15 million

4. A US company purchased several boxes of watches from a Swiss company for

300,000 francs. This payment must be made in Swiss francs 90 days from today.
The following quotations and expectations exist:

90-day US interest rate 4.00%

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 90-day Swiss interest rare 3.00%
90-day forward rate for francs $0.400
Spot rate for francs $0.404

Would the company be better off using the forward market hedge or the money
market hedge?

Alternative one: Hedge in the forward market by buying francs forward for
dollars now. The certain cost is computed as follows:

$0.400 x 300,000 = $120,000

Alternative Two: Hedge in the money market by borrowing dollars, exchanging

them for francs, and investing the francs for 90 days.

(1) How many francs do we need today to have 300,000 francs in 90 days if
money grows at 3 percent in 90 days?

300,000/1.03 = 291,262 francs

(2) How many dollars do we need today to buy 291,262 francs in the spot
market?

291, 262 x $0.404 = $117,670

(3) How many dollars do we need to repay a $117,670 loan in 90 days?

$117,670 x 1.04 = $122,377

The cost of the forward market hedge is $120,000, while the cost of the money
market hedge is $122,377. Thus, the company should use the forward market
hedge.

5. For the coming year, a British subsidiary of an American company is expected to

incur an after-tax loss of £50 million and its depreciation charge is estimated at
£10 million. The exchange rate is expected to rise from $1.5 per pound to $1.7 per
pound for the next year. What is the potential economic gain or loss?

Loss after taxes -£50 million

Depreciation 10 million
Cash flows from operations -£40 million

Pre-appreciation ($1.5 x £40 million) = $60,000,000

Post-appreciation ($1.7 x £40 million) = 60,800,000
Potential exchange loss -$ 800,000

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6. This problem deals with the minimization of transaction exposure. Interest rates
are in equilibrium with the forward exchange quotation:
($0.0051 - $0.0050)/$0.0050 x 360/180 = 11% - 7%
4% = 4%

There are three alternatives available to the U.S. company: (1) take the
transaction risk, (2) hedge in the forward market, and (3) hedge in the money
market.

Alternative 1: Take the transaction risk by waiting for 180 days and then buying
Japanese yen in the spot market.

Maximum expected cost = ¥100,000 x $0.0052 = $520

Lowest expected cost = ¥100,000 x $0.0046 = $460

Based on the spot rate 180 days from now, this alternative gives a range of
possible payments in 180 days time. Because the final payment depends on the
actual spot rate 180 days from now, the outcome is uncertain. Thus, the final
payment could be even higher than the maximum expected cost or lower than the
lowest expected cost.

Alternative 2: Hedge in the forward market by buying yen forward for dollars
now. The certain cost is computed as follows:

¥100,000 x $0.0051 = $510

This is a certain sum which is greater than the lowest expected cost of Alternative
1 but less than its maximum expected cost.

Alternative 3: Hedge in the money market by borrowing dollars today,

exchanging them for yen, and investing the yen for 180 days.

(1) How many yen do we need today to have ¥100,000 in 180 days if money
grows at 7 percent a year?

¥100,000/1.035 = ¥96,618.357

(2) How many dollars do we need today to buy ¥96,618.357 in the spot
market?

¥96,618.357 x $0.0050 = $483.09

(3) How many dollars do we need to repay a $483.09 loan in 180 days?

$483.09 x 1.055 = $509.66

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 Given the stated rates, the lowest expected cost of Alternative 1 is the cheapest
alternative, but it is not certain. Alternatives 2 and 3 are supposed to give
identical results because the forward premium is equal to the interest differential.
The small difference between these two alternatives is due to the compounding
and rounding errors.

7. Put option: £100,000 x $1.6660 = $166,600

Spot transaction: £100,000 x $1.7100 = $171,000

The US company should sell British pounds in the spot market because the spot
sale would give the company $4,400 ($171,000 - $166,600) more. The premium
of the put option ($0.01 per pound) is not an active decision variable in this case
because it is a sunk cost. If the holder does not exercise the option at the time of
maturity, the option becomes worthless.

8a. Assume that the foreign exchange rate is denoted by y ($NZ/$). The cost of the
direct loan consists of $50,000 ($250,000 x 0.20) and the potential exchange loss
of ($250,000y - $NZ500,000). The cost of the credit swap consists of the
$50,000y ($250,000 x 0.20) and $NZ50,000 ($NZ500,000 x 0.10). Thus, we
obtain:

Direct Loan Credit Swap

$50,000y + ($250,000y - $NZ500,000) = $50,000y + $NZ50,000
y = $NZ2.20

8b. If y = 2, direct loan = $NZ100,000

credit swap = $NZ150,000

Direct loan is cheaper, but it is riskier. The choice depends on the size of
difference in cost and the perceived amount of risk for direct loan.

8c. If y = 3, direct loan = $NZ400,000

credit swap = $NZ200,000
Credit swap should be chosen because it is cheaper and safer.

8d. The 5 percent interest on $250,000 deposit is $12,500; this amount can be used to
reduce the amount of dollar interest exposure for the credit-swap alternative.

Direct Loan Credit Swap

50,000y + (250,000y - 500,000) = (50,000 - 12,500)y + 50,000
y = $NZ2.095238

ANSWERS TO END-OF-CASE QUESTIONS

1. Evaluate pros and cons of various exchange-hedging instruments and techniques.

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 INSTRUMENTS. There are four instruments multinational companies can use
for hedging their foreign exchange exposures: forwards, futures, options, and
swaps. Forwards are custom-made contracts to buy or sell foreign exchange in
the future at a present specific price. Maturity and size of contracts can be
determined individually to almost exactly hedge the desired position. The hedging
method uses up bank credit lines even when two forward contracts exactly offset
each other.
Futures are ready-made contracts to buy or sell foreign exchange in the future
at a presently specific price. Their advantages are: no credit lines required; easy
access for small accounts; fairly low margin requirements; and contract's liquidity
guarantee by the exchange on which it is traded. Their disadvantages are: they are
too structured (e.g., only four maturity dates per year); and margin requirements
cause cash-flow uncertainty and use managerial resources.
Options are contracts that offer the right but not the obligation to buy or sell
foreign exchange in the future at a present specific price. Options allow hedging
of contingent exposures and taking positions while limiting downside risk and
retaining upside potential for profit. However, their benefits are not readily
observable because options are like insurance coupled with an investment
opportunity; thus, some may believe that options are too expensive.
Swaps are agreements to exchange one currency for another at specified dates
and prices. They are versatile, allowing easy hedging of complex exposures.
Documentation requirements may be extensive.

TECHNIQUES. There are four techniques multinational companies may use for
hedging foreign exchange exposures: money-market hedge, commodity hedge,
leads and lags, and balance-sheet hedge. The money market hedge creates a
synthetic forward by borrowing and lending at home and abroad. It is useful when
forwards, futures, or swaps markets are thin, particularly for long-dated
maturities. Disadvantages include: they utilizes costly managerial resources and
may be prohibited by legal restrictions.
The commodity hedge involves "going short or long" a commodity contract
denominated in a foreign currency to hedge a foreign exchange asset or liability.
Commodity markets are usually deep, particularly for maturities up to a year.
Price changes of commodities, in terms of home currency, may not exactly offset
price changes in the asset or liability to be hedged.
Leads and lags involve equating foreign exchange assets and liabilities by
speeding up or slowing down receivables or payables. This technique avoids
unnecessary hedging costs. Disadvantages are: appropriate matches may not be
available, and it may utilize costly managerial resources.
The balance-sheet hedge equates assets and liabilities denominated in each
currency. This method avoids unnecessary hedging costs. However, appropriate
matches may be not available.

2. What are the different types of foreign exchange risk WMC will encounter?

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 WMC will encounter all three major types of exchange risks: translation,
transaction, and economic. First, because WMC operates in nineteen different
countries and the Australian law requires the company to consolidate its global
operations, it will be exposed to translation gains and losses. Second, because
WMC borrows in foreign currencies and its foreign sales are priced in US dollars,
it will be exposed to transaction gains and losses. Third, because MNC's future
sales will be priced in US dollars, it will face economic exposure.

3. Explain why borrowings in US dollars and forward sales of US dollar revenues by

Australian mining companies in the 1980s had backfired.

If the Australian dollar increased sharply against the US dollar, the above strategy
would have worked well for Australian mining companies. However, when the
Australian dollar declined sharply against the US dollar in the 1980s, Australian
mining companies suffered foreign exchange losses for several reasons. First,
because Australian mining companies had borrowed in US dollars, the US dollar
appreciation increased the amount of their Australian dollar loans and thus led to
exchange losses. Second, because Australian mining companies had sold forward
their expected dollar revenue stream, they suffered further exchange losses as
these contracts matured. In other words, if Australian mining companies did not
sell forward their expected US-dollar revenues, the US dollar appreciation would
have enabled them to realize foreign exchange gains. Third, the positive effect of
the strong US dollar on dollar-denominated revenues did not materialize because
Australian mining companies had sold forward most or all of their expected dollar
revenue stream for up to ten years.

4. Explain why WMC decided to borrow in a basket of currencies rather than

exclusively in US dollars or Australian dollars.

WMC decided to borrow in a basket of currencies for two major reasons. First,
the Australian-dollar loan market was not extensive enough to meet all the needs
of the company. Second, currency diversification provided by a basket of
currencies will minimize or hedge foreign exchange risk associated with single-
currency loans because different currencies in the basket are highly unlikely to
move in the same direction.

5. What are two possible ways to hedge economic exposure?

There are basically two possible ways to hedge economic exposure: operational
hedges and financial hedges. An example of an operational hedge, known as the
balance-sheet hedge, is a change in sourcing to maintain the same amount of
exposed cost and revenue in each currency. If a supplier can be changed with no
compromise in quality, delivery, or reliability, then it probably makes sense to do
so. The currency mix of a firm's cost stream often can be altered by relocating a
plant to a different country. Any decision to reduce currency exposure by means
of operational changes in suppliers or plant location obviously must balance the

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 potential reduction in foreign exchange exposure against many possible operating
disadvantages.
Financial hedges using forward currency contracts or other derivative
instruments may or may not be effective in reducing economic exposure; in some
cases, they may even make the problem worse. The use of a long-term forward
contract would freeze the nominal exchange rate but leave the inflation
differential unaffected, thus introducing exposure where none existed. Such a
hedge would represent a bet, in effect, on the direction of the inflation differential.
Thus, the forward contract fixes one of two variables that tend to move counter to
one another. It fixes the nominal exchange rate, leaving the inflation differential
with no offsetting influence. As a result, a long-term financial hedge with forward
contract may increase economic exposure rather than reduce it.

6. Explain why WMC decided not to hedge its economic exposure (i.e., future US-
dollar revenues).

It is very difficult, if not impossible, for WMC or any other company to hedge
economic exposure for several reasons. The scope of economic exposure is broad
because it can change a company's competitiveness across many markets and
products. A company always faces economic risks from competition. When based
in foreign currencies, the risks are long-term, hard to quantify, and cannot be dealt
with solely through financial hedging techniques. For example, currencies are so
volatile that it would be impossible for forecast more than a few days or a few
months into the future with a fair degree of accuracy.
The case stated that the use of forward contracts to hedge economic exposure
by Australian mining companies in the 1980s had backfired mainly due to those
reasons described above. Thus, WMC decided to hedge only its transaction
exposure and to discontinue the use of forward contracts for its economic
exposure. Thus, it is wise to use forward contracts when foreign currency cash
flows are known (transaction exposure) and to use options when foreign currency
cash flows are unknown (economic exposure).

7. The web sites for various multinational companies disclose exchange-rate

hedging activities and their exchange gains or losses. (Hint: see footnotes of
annual reports). Based on the web site of WMC www.wmc.com.au or the web site
of IBM www.ibm.com describe the management of foreign exchange risk for
either company.

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