Managing Transaction Exposure ❖ 2
Chapter Theme
A primary objective of the chapter is to provide an overview of hedging techniques. Yet, transaction
exposure cannot always be hedged in all cases. Even when it can be hedged, the firm must decide
whether a hedge is feasible. An MNC can incorporate its expectations about future exchange rates, future
inflows and outflows, as well as its degree of risk aversion to make hedging decisions.
Topics to Stimulate Class Discussion
1. Is transaction exposure relevant?
2. Why should a firm bother identifying net transaction exposure?
3. Should management of transaction exposure be conducted at the subsidiary level or at the centralized
level? Why?
POINT/COUNTER-POINT:
Should an MNC Risk Overhedging?
POINT: Yes. MNCs have some “unanticipated” transactions that occur without any advance notice. They
should attempt to forecast the net cash flows in each currency due to unanticipated transactions based on
the previous net cash flows for that currency in a previous period. Even though it would be impossible to
forecast the volume of these unanticipated transactions per day, it may be possible to forecast the volume
on a monthly basis. For example, if an MNC has net cash flows between 3,000,000 and 4,000,000
Philippine pesos every month, it may presume that it will receive at least 3,000,000 pesos in each of the
next few months unless conditions change. In this case, it can hedge a position of 3,000,0000 in pesos by
selling that amount of pesos forward or buying put options on that amount of pesos. Any amount of net
cash flows beyond 3,000,000 pesos will not be hedged, but at least the MNC was able to hedge the
minimum expected net cash flows.
COUNTER-POINT: No. MNCs should not hedge unanticipated transactions. When they overhedge the
expected net cash flows in a foreign currency, they remain exposed to exchange rate risk. If they sell more
currency as a result of forward contracts than their net cash flows, they will be adversely affected by an
increase in the value of the currency. Their initial reasons for hedging were to protect against the
weakness of the currency, but the overhedging described here would simply shift their exposure.
Overhedging does not insulate an MNC against exchange rate risk. It just changes the means by which the
MNC is exposed.
WHO IS CORRECT? Use the Internet to learn more about this issue. Offer your own opinion on this
issue.