WallStreetMojo

WallStreetMojo

WallStreetMojo

MENUMENU
  • Blog
  • Free Video Tutorials
  • Courses
  • All In One Bundle
  • Login
Home » Risk Management Tutorials » Risks » Exchange Rate Risk

Exchange Rate Risk

By Madhuri ThakurMadhuri Thakur | Reviewed By Dheeraj VaidyaDheeraj Vaidya, CFA, FRM

What is Exchange Rate Risk?

Exchange Rate Risk is defined as the risk of loss that the company bears when the transaction is denominated in a currency other than the money in which the company operates. It is a risk that occurs due to a change in the relative values of currencies. The risk which the company runs is that there may be an adverse currency fluctuation on the date when the transaction is completed, and currencies are exchanged. Foreign exchange risk also occurs when a company has subsidiaries operating in different countries. The subsidiaries prepare their financial statements in the currency, which is different from the currency in which the parent company reports its financial statements.

Import and export businesses involve a large number of foreign exchange risks as the import/ export of goods and services include transactions in different currencies and exchange of currencies at a later date and time. Exchange rate risk also affects international investors and institutions, which make overseas investments in global markets.

Types of Foreign Exchange Risks

Exchange Rate-Risk

#1 – Transaction Risk

Transaction risk occurs when a company buys products or services in a different currency or has receivables in another currency than their operating currency. Since the payables or receivables are denominated in a foreign currency, the exchange rate at the initiation of a transaction and on the date of settlement may have changed due to the volatile nature of the forex market. This can cause a gain or loss for the company depending on the direction of the movement of exchange rates and thus poses a risk to the company.

Example of Transaction Risk

A company X operating in the united states of America, buys raw material from company Y in Germany. The operational currency for Company X and Y is USD and EUR, respectively. The company buys raw material for EUR 100 Mn and needs to pay company Y 3 months down the line. At the initiation of a transaction, suppose USD/ EUR rate is 0.80; thus, if the company X had paid for the material upfront, it would have bought EUR 100 Mn for USD/ EUR 0.80 * EUR 100 Mn = USD 80 Mn.

Popular Course in this category
Sale
All in One Financial Analyst Bundle (250+ Courses, 40+ Projects)
4.9 (1,067 ratings)
250+ Courses | 40+ Projects | 1000+ Hours | Full Lifetime Access | Certificate of Completion
View Course

Now suppose, after three months, USD depreciates to USD/ EUR 0.85, then the company would have to pay USD 85 Mn to buy the EUR 100 Mn to pay the company Y in Germany. Thus, company X has to pay USD 5 Mn extra due to the volatility of the USD-EUR pair. Had the dollar appreciated against the Euro, company X would have paid less to buy the EUR 100 Mn.

#2 – Translation Risk

Translation risk occurs when a company’s financial statement reporting is affected by the exchange rate volatility. A large multinational generally has a presence in many countries, and each subsidiary reports its financial statements in the currency of the country in which they operate. The parent company typically reports the consolidated financials, which involves translating foreign currencies of different subsidiaries to the domestic currency. And this can have a significant impact on the company’s balance sheet and income statement and can ultimately affect the stock price of the company.

Example of Translation Risk

Company X operating in the United States of America, has subsidiaries in India, Germany, and Japan. To report the consolidated financials, company X needs to translate INR, EUR, and YEN, respectively, into USD. So if the INR, EUR, and YEN fluctuate in the forex market relative to USD, it can impact the reported earnings and balance sheet of company X. This can ultimately affect the share price of company X.

#3 – Economic Risk

A company faces economic risk when the volatility in the exchange rate market can cause changes in the market value of the company. It represents the effects of exchange rates movement on revenues and expenses of a company, which ultimately affects the future operating cash flows of the company and its present value.

Example of Economic Risk

Change in the exchange rate of a pair of currency can cause changes in the demand for a product that a company produces. Since the exchange rate movement is affecting the market and revenue of the company, it can affect its present value.

How to Manage Foreign Exchange Rate Risk?

  • Managing Transaction Risks – The most common way to manage transaction exchange rate risk is hedging strategies. In hedging, each transaction can be evaded by the methods of forwards, futures, options, and other financial instruments. Hedging strategy is generally employed to lock in a future exchange rate at which the foreign currency can buy or sell, leaving the company immune to volatility in the exchange rate market. Since the future rate is locked at the outset, the exchange rate movement will not result in losses. However, there is a downside too for hedging transactions – though it prevents the losses, it can also cut down profits of a transaction in case of favorable currency movements as the exchange rate is locked at the initiation of the transaction.
  • Managing Translation Risk – The second exchange risk, i.e., translation risk or balance sheet risk, is difficult to hedge or control. It involves balance sheet items such as long-term assets and liabilities, which are difficult to hedge due to their long term nature. And this risk is hedged very occasionally.
  • Managing Economic Risk – The third risk, economic risk, is also challenging to hedge as it is complicated to quantify the risk and then hedge it. Economic risk is the residual risk and is often hedged at last and, in many cases, left unhedged.

Conclusion

To conclude, we can say that the foreign exchange rate is an essential factor for companies that transact internationally, have subsidiaries abroad, and whose market value is dependent on exchange rates and affect the profitability and market value of companies. The different types of exchange rate risks are transaction, translation, and economic risk. And these can hedge depending on the nature of the risk.

Recommended Articles

This has been a guide to what is Exchange Rate Risk and its definition. Here we discuss types of exchange rate risks (transaction, translation & economic risk) along with examples and how to manage them. You can learn more about Risk Management from the following articles –

  • Hedge Ratio
  • Strategies for Credit Risk Management
  • Types of Business Risk
  • Types of Financial Risk
0 Shares
Share
Tweet
Share
Primary Sidebar
Footer
COMPANY
About
Reviews
Contact
Privacy
Terms of Service
RESOURCES
Blog
Free Courses
Free Tutorials
Investment Banking Tutorials
Financial Modeling Tutorials
Excel Tutorials
Accounting Tutorials
Financial Statement Analysis
COURSES
All Courses
Financial Analyst All in One Course
Investment Banking Course
Financial Modeling Course
Private Equity Course
Venture Capital Course
Excel All in One Course

Copyright © 2021. CFA Institute Does Not Endorse, Promote, Or Warrant The Accuracy Or Quality Of WallStreetMojo. CFA® And Chartered Financial Analyst® Are Registered Trademarks Owned By CFA Institute.
Return to top

WallStreetMojo

Download Coursera IPO Financial Model

By continuing above step, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
WallStreetMojo

Free Investment Banking Course

IB Excel Templates, Accounting, Valuation, Financial Modeling, Video Tutorials

* Please provide your correct email id. Login details for this Free course will be emailed to you

Book Your One Instructor : One Learner Free Class
WallStreetMojo

Free Investment Banking Course

IB Excel Templates, Accounting, Valuation, Financial Modeling, Video Tutorials

* Please provide your correct email id. Login details for this Free course will be emailed to you

Let’s Get Started
Please select the batch
Saturday - Sunday 9 am IST to 5 pm IST
Saturday - Sunday 9 am IST to 5 pm IST

This website or its third-party tools use cookies, which are necessary to its functioning and required to achieve the purposes illustrated in the cookie policy. By closing this banner, scrolling this page, clicking a link or continuing to browse otherwise, you agree to our Privacy Policy

Login

Forgot Password?

Coursera IPO Financial Model & Valuation Free Download