Luminor Trade. For Corporations

Almost every corporation having business relationships abroad is open to currency risk. Fluctuations in currency rates has significant impact on financial results. It is much more beneficial to hedge against unfavorbale movements in currency rates, than to expect, that rates change will be in favor of corportations interests. Therefore, income will be forecasted more accurately and business will be more successful, when:

• exporting goods and services, when buyers pay with currency different than euro
• Importing goods and services, when corporation has to pay in currency different than euro
• in all other cases, when income and expenses come in differenet currencies

Typical financial instruments for hedging against changes in currency price:

• forwards, where currency rate is set now, and settled in the future
• options, which give right, not obligation, to buy or sell currency in the future on predifined rate

Both instruments are found on Luminor Trade platform which will give you additional flexibility managing currency risk.

Forwards vs. Options

Forward rollover - It is not unusual that expiration dates have to be changed. In this case, forward rollover is needed in order to stay hedged against currency risk. Luminor Trade automatically rolls over position to next day, until you close the position.

Companies selling or buying raw materials for delivery in future periods are subject to commodity price risk. The rise or decline in prices may make the production or extraction unprofitable. Access to the futures markets provide an opportunity to hedge the risks associated with the company's core operations.

Can we consider the futures price to be forecast price? On the one hand - yes, because the futures price at any given time reflects the price expectations of both buyers and sellers relative to the date of delivery in the future. Thus, the futures price helps to establish a balance between production and consumption. On the other hand - no, as the futures price is a price forecast, which is subject to continuous change. Adjustment of futures prices reflect additional information about the change in demand and supply, as soon as such information becomes available.

The word "hedge” means "protection." In terms of futures trading is the definition accurately captures the essence of the hedge as a balancing of the transaction, which sets the position in the futures market opposite to the current position in the cash market. Hedging is based on the fact that the change in prices in the cash market and the futures market is interconnected. Price movements are not necessarily identical, but, as a rule, are so similar that it is possible to reduce the risk of losses in the cash market, taking the opposite position in the futures market. Taking opposite position in one market, can compensate the loss at the expense of profits on the other. Thus, the hedger can make a transaction in the cash market at a fixed price which will actually be carried out only after a few months.

Example

Suppose now is July and you are planning to buy corn in November. On the cash market in July, the price of corn delivered in November, is € 221 per ton, but you think that by the time of the purchase price may increase. To protect yourself from possible price increases, you buy December corn futures at € 221 per tonne. What will be the result if, by November, corn prices will rise by EUR 20 per tonne?

In this example, the higher cost of corn in the cash market is offset by gains in the futures market.

Conversely, if by November, corn price falls by EUR 20 per tonne, the lower the cost of corn in the cash market would be offset by losses in the futures market. Net purchase price would be equal to 221 euros per tonne.

*In all examples and calculations, data is for guidance only and may be different from the actual market data.

Similarly, you can use futures for other agricultural products, metals, precious metals, oil products etc.