Managing Transaction Exposure 2
b. Given an exercise price of $.79, Narto Co. can exercise the put option and sell its Swiss francs for
53. Forward Versus Option Hedge. Assume that interest parity exists. Today, the one-year interest
rate in Japan is the same as the one-year interest rate in the U.S. You use the international Fisher
effect when forecasting how exchange rates will change over the next year. You will receive Japanese
yen in one year. You can hedge receivables with a one-year forward contract on Japanese yen or a
one-year at-the-money put option contract on Japanese yen. If you use a forward hedge, will your
expected dollar cash flows in one year be higher than, lower than, or the same as if you had used put
options? Explain.
ANSWER: Because the two countries have equal one-year interest rates, there is no expected change
in the spot rate based on the international Fisher effect. When hedging receivables with a forward
54. Long-term Hedging. Rebel Co. (a U.S. firm) has a contract with the government of Spain and
will receive payments of 10,000 euros in exchange for consulting services at the end of each of the
next 10 years. The annualized interest rate in the U.S. is 6% regardless of the term to maturity. The
annualized interest rate for the euro is 6% regardless of the term to maturity. Assume that you expect
that the interest rates for the U.S. and for the euro will be the same at any future time, regardless of
the term to maturity. Assume that interest rate parity exists. Rebel considers two alternative strategies:
Strategy (1) – It can use forward hedging one year in advance of the receivables, so that at the
end of each year, it creates a new one-year forward hedge for the receivables,
Strategy (2) – It can establish a hedge TODAY for ALL future receivables (a one-year forward
hedge for receivables in one year, a two-year forward hedge for receivables in two years, and so on).
a. Assume that the euro depreciates consistently over the next 10 years. Will strategy 1 result in
higher, lower, or the same cash flows for Rebel Co. as strategy 2?
b. Assume that the euro appreciates consistently over the next 10 years. Will strategy 1 result in
higher, lower, or the same cash flows for Rebel Co. as strategy 2?
ANSWER:
a. Lower, because if the euro depreciates over time, so will the one-year forward rate. Thus, the
amount of dollars received from using strategy 1 declines each year. Conversely, if strategy 2 is used,
b. Higher, because if the euro appreciates over time, so will the one-year forward rate. Thus, the
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