Opinion
Traders’ perceptions of market timing
Jeffrey Todd Lins, director in quantitative analysis at Saxo Bank in Copenhagen, discusses the importance of timing in making trade decisions following an economic release
Solving investment problems with forex
An asset manager may look to euro/Swiss franc and euro/sterling structures to take advantage of investor uncertainty, says David Durrant, chief currency strategist at Julius Baer Asset Management International in New York
What is oil telling us?
The high cost of oil in the US may hit the dollar hard in Q4, says John Taylor, chief investment officer at overlay manager FX Concepts in New York
Political upheaval nears the endgame
The next two to six weeks in Poland will be very important for the medium-term outlook of the Polish zloty and indeed the entire country, says Daniel Katzive, FX strategist at UBS in New York
An average rate option to protect the budget
As euro/dollar continues its descent, Rabobank’s corporate sales desk in Utrecht suggests one way for European corporates to profit from the move
RBI under scrutiny as rupee rises
A recent surge in the rupee is prompting debate about the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) forex policy, says Peter Redward at Deutsche Bank in Singapore
How to slash currency conversion rates
A Dual Currency Accumulator Note enables investors to convert currencies at a better rate than would be available in the cash market, writes Andy Kaufmann, head of FX structured products, EMEA, at Merrill Lynch
Time is right for early barrier forwards
The high level of volatility in the market makes this an opportune time for corporates to use early barrier forwards to hedge cable risk, says Barclays Capital’s senior FX structurer in London, James Edwards
Cashing in on Asia
Asian FX offers abundant opportunities to make money over the next few months. Mike Newton (right), regional FX strategist, HSBC global markets in Hong Kong, suggests potential trade ideas to make the most of the markets
The average rate fadeout forward
An average rate fadeout forward may help a European corporate lock in protection on its US earnings, says Federico Gilly, executive director, FX strategies at Goldman Sachs in London
Japan: on the move
Japan’s economic rebound looks more and more like the long-awaited self-sustaining recovery that would put an end to the post-bubble era. But there are still big risks, says Anne Mills, head of foreign exchange research at Brown Brothers Harriman in New…
Profiting from the Chinese yuan
With speculation rife on the revaluation of the Chinese yuan, James Davison of the global FX derivatives marketing team at ABN Amro in London, examines potential ways for derivatives traders to benefit
Why the US current account still matters
Is the market’s new-found obsession with portfolio flows data justified in assessing the US dollar? asks Adam Cole, senior FX strategist at Credit Agricole Indosuez in London
The zero-cost double KO/KI forward
A double knock-out/knock-in forward may provide a Mexican manufacturer with an effective zero-cost hedge, say Vincent Lee and Richard Stang, vice-presidents in FX sales at TD Securities in Toronto
Aussie hits a high
The Aussie dollar looks set to be the one of the main beneficiaries from continued central bank currency intervention in Asia, argues Robert Rennie (right), chief currency analyst at Westpac in Sydney
Are long-dated options correctly priced?
Options pricing is based on a flawed model of market efficiency. This is why market-makers and hedgers might see the same volatility as cheap or expensive, depending on their viewpoint, says Gilles Bransbourg, head of European FX sales at Bear Stearns in…
Volatility and leverage key for Euro importer
Trading volatility allows a European importer to improve its dollar buying rate and mitigate Asian strengthening says Silash Ruparell in European FX sales at Lehman Brothers in London
Cancellable forward beats dollar pendulum
Cancellable forward contracts offer corporates a cheap way of protecting against volatile dollar receivables says Anders Kjaer Jensen, FX strategist at Nordea in Copenhagen
Portfolio flows and the dollar’s outlook
The pace of the dollar’s decline appears to have returned to more sustainable levels, says Michael Woolfolk, senior currency strategist at The Bank of New York
Falling rates spell kroner/krona opportunities
The Norwegian kroner is being supported by oil prices and carry-trade liquidation, but these factors will force the Norges Bank to slash rates. This provides the opportunity for short-term tactical trades against the Swedish krona, says Hans-Guenter…
Dual currency forwards to the rescue
Dual currency forwards can offer tangible benefits if used wisely, says Standard Chartered’s Charlie Brown, global head of structuring in London, and Michael Image, structurer for Northeast Asia, in Hong Kong
Rotation in reflation trades
Inflation is driving the UK to raise interest rates while other nations are set to cut rates to drive growth. These rate differentials provide opportunities for return says Monica Fan, head of European FX strategy at RBC Capital Markets in London
Correlation for hedging and speculation
One of the most surprising FX developments in the past year has been the re-emergence of the use of correlation products. Ade Odunsi, a director in Merrill Lynch’s FX risk advisory group in New York, suggests two such solutions for a hedging and a…
Hedging dollar dividends back to euro
A European company seeking to protect dividends received from a US subsidiary can benefit from the current inverted volatility term structure in the FX options market. UBS’s FX Solutions group explains how