Not many of us would be acquainted with the term Money Market Hedge and for reasons that are understandable. We do not deal with Foreign Exchange in our daily lives, and that is why we are not really supposed to know what the term means. But for those who are interested in making a career in foreign exchange and are trying hard to understand what the domain has to offer, you must be first oriented with a set of jargons. One of the most important jargons used in the discipline of foreign exchange is that of Money Market Hedge, and with this article, we shall try to provide an insight into what this means and the ways in which it works. Therefore, without any further delay, let us delve directly into the topic at hand.
What is a Money Market Hedge?
A money market hedge is a technique used to minimize the risks associated with foreign exchange. Simply put, it is a process that hedges the risk factor involved in a foreign exchange transaction in the money market, where short-term investments that are highly-liquid, are traded. Some of these liquid and short-term investments are banker’s acceptances, treasury bills and commercial papers. However, of all the foreign exchange risk management techniques that we have in the market, the instrument of money market hedge might not be a cost-effective one, especially for large organizations who deal with a high volume of trade and exchanges. However, for smaller businesses and investors, managing risks in the domain of foreign exchange with money market hedge is one of the best ways to stay cushioned against the various fluctuations in currencies. This is because these small ventures do not need to use the futures market or forwards contract, and thus, this technique serves to be quite efficient.
How Does the Money Market Hedge Work?
The money market hedge is quite similar to a forward exchange, but of course, there are certain vital differences as well that we are going to be looking into. But first, you need to know why foreign exchange risks occur. There are primarily two reasons why a risk arises in foreign exchange. The first is due to transaction exposure, and the second is due to translation exposure. Hedging the risks associated with translation exposure with a money market hedge might not be possible because it is quite a complex process. But the transaction exposure can be very well hedged with this instrument.
Implementing the Money Market Hedge:
There are a number of scenarios where you can implement the money market hedge, and some of these instances are mentioned below for the sake of your understanding.
- In a situation where forward contracts are not available, the money market hedge can be implemented effectively.
- Money market hedge can also be used in small businesses where they do not have an access to the forwards market.
- Also, the instrument of money market hedge can be used in situations where only smaller amounts are required and where there is a requirement for currency hedge, but without using the currency options.
The Upsides and Downsides of Using Money Market Hedge:
It is a little challenging to draw a strict line between the pros and cons of using money market hedge since the results yielded by this instrument depend on the situation. It is subjective and varies from one situation to the other. For instance, this instrument settles upon one rate of exchange for a transaction that must take place sometime in the future. Now, this could either mean a good thing or a bad thing, because we cannot tell how the currencies shall vary in the future. Also, there a few impediments in implementing the money market hedge that is purely logistical. For example, in the case of a loan where one places foreign currencies, the process might be quite taxing, and rates used in money market hedge might differ from those of the wholesale rates used in determining the currency forwards. Therefore, there is no one way to look at the means of money market hedge. Depending on the scenario, the instrument could either be effective or a failure.
A Few Final Words:
The money market hedge is definitely one of the most vital hedging and risk management tools in the domain of foreign exchange. And though, it might be quite a challenging affair to tell how well it shall work in different scenarios, there is no denying the fact that anyone who wants to wade through the risks in foreign exchange needs to understand the physics behind the money market hedge. Only then can one understand when, where and how to implement them to acquire the results that are desired in a specific situation. There are a host of other tools to minimize risks associated with this domain, and money market hedge happens to be an extremely important one.
