Advice for International Investors on How to Safeguard Their Profits
What are the risks? Today, investors are increasingly turning to global markets to find opportunities for profit, giving urgency to the issue of protecting returns from foreign exchange risk. While there are many excellent investment opportunities to be found all over the world, volatility in the currency markets can and does affect the profitability of these investments. An understanding of how currency rate movements can affect profits can help investors protect their bottom line from this uncertainty. A vivid example of how currency volatility can impact profits occurred in 2004. When the US stock market rallied, investors from Europe converted their euros into dollars and sent them to America to take advantage of these opportunities. Even though there was a 30% gain in the US stock market that year, it was accompanied by a 22% decline in the value of the dollar. Although the European investors had earned substantial returns on their stock investments, their profits were reduced considerably when converted back into euros because of the decline in the dollar. Investors in other markets are also exposed to currency rate risk. When interest rates increased in the UK, many investors sent capital from all over the world to profit from these higher returns. However, at the same time, the price of the US dollar versus the pound sterling was subject to great volatility -as much as 11% in 2004! Because of this, the amount those American investors took home varied greatly depending on when they chose to convert their profits back into dollars. Exchange rate risk can be a threat to your profitability when investing abroad. While it is impossible to predict exactly where the markets will go, you can protect yourself from this kind of volatility. Read on to learn how easy it is to hedge against currency exchange risk by taking a position in the spot foreign exchange market. How to protect your profits Protecting your investment profits by hedging in the spot currency market is simple and inexpensive, and completely protects your account against currency market volatility. Hedging entails taking a position in the market so that the effects of foreign exchange movements are neutralized, and gives you the peace of knowing that your profits are not vulnerable to movements in the currency market. The principle of a hedge is simple. An investor who has invested his funds abroad wants to make sure that he is protected if the currency of the country he has invested in depreciates. Depreciation in the value of the foreign currency would mean that he gets less of his home currency when he converts his profits. The simplest way for an investor to avoid a loss like this is to sell the currency of the country where he has invested in the spot currency market. If it depreciates in value, he will profit from his spot position. In an example taken from go currency.com someone from the UK who is investing 300,000 pounds in the US wants to make sure that when he takes his profits home, he is protected if the dollar gets weaker. To do this, he would sell dollars in his trading account so that he profits if it does get weaker. When he converts his investment funds back to pounds, his gains in the currency market will cancel out any losses caused by exchange rate volatility. All hedging takes is a little foresight and a trading account. The total transaction cost of a hedge is minimal-only $150 in the example above. Any losses of investment capital are completely offset by gains in a currency trading account, making hedging an inexpensive and very efficient way to protect against substantial risk. Article created by Gerron Richard Woodruffe. Gerron Woodruffe is an affiliate of gocurrency.com. Go currency is a free online currency rate converter.
Related News
|
 |
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Have You Ever Seen A Map of the World Turned Upside Down?
For those accustomed to viewing things a certain way, it is quite disconcerting. One almost expects the ocean to pour out. It just seems wrong. Yet, the way we view the globe is entirely arbitrary, based largely on the way we've always seen it.
Finding a Broker
"Hey Joe! I need help finding a broker. I notice that discount commission rates are pretty much the same.
So how do I choose?"
Top Ten Investment Mistakes
1. Lacking an investment plan a/k/a/ "Don't take a trip without packing the map". A pre-planned asset allocation generates positive results and eliminates emotional panic selling.
Investing Psychology Today Requires All Traders to Awaken Their Speculator Minds
Stock trading strategies are as rampant today, as they were during the Great Bull Market. Yet, can you truly master the stock market like so many investing books propose?
Rules of Simple IRA Your Business Needs to Know
A Savings Incentive Match Plan for Employees plan, better known as a SIMPLE plan, is an IRA-based retirement plan available to employers with fewer than 100 employees.
The Basics of Tax-Free UK Financial Spread Betting
Financial Spread Betting (or Trading) offers a tax free method of speculating on financial markets.
Stock Market Leaders and Laggards
Leaders are stocks that breakout immediately when the market confirms a new rally. In the first several weeks, strong stocks with leadership ability will breakout on volume above their 50-day average. Some of these stocks will breakout on the largest volume ever. Typically, newer stocks that have come public in the past few years will have the most strength for sizable gains.
Why You Need To Buy and Sell Gold Coins (Part 3)
Putting Rare Coin Market Cycles to Work for You...
Makin The Sauce
Let's face it, you're on a roll. After getting down to your attorney's office to sign the new Living Trust and then diligently tracking down your assets to fund the trust, you should be congratulated. You're one of the responsible ones - 70% of the people who die each year in the United States haven't even bothered to get a will. Frankly, you're an inspiration to us all. But to seal the nomination for the financial Oscars, a little work on your investments could go a long way.
Advice for International Investors on How to Safeguard Their Profits
What are the risks?
Powerful Options Basics Lessons Improving your trading in 180 days.
An option is a traded security that is a derivative product.
Using Divergences to Keep Out of Bad Trades
The American Football season just came to an end with my team getting close to the championship but falling short again. I am a big fan of the Indianapolis Colts and we keep having a groundhog day season year after year but it is still fun to watch. We have one of the better quarterbacks in the league named Peyton Manning who is renowned for his hard work ethic as well as his mental and physical ability on the field.
Types of Investment
The word 'investments' is one that most of us are familiar with hearing in financial context. For many of us, it may make us thing of big business and vasts sums of money, but there's much to the world of investments than multi-million dollar deals.
Wit and Wisdom on Money, Wall Street and Success - Part #4
Can you concisely summarize your investment philosophy in a few sentences? My experience is that most people can't. The quotes that follow are diamonds that offer a real powerful education in the world of Risk Management. They have had a profound impact in my life. I pass them along hoping they achieve a similar effect on your investments. Enjoy!
Investing In Sons Business Could Cause A Real Family Feud
Q: My youngest son wants to borrow $5,000 to start his own business. My wife is afraid to tell him no. She thinks we should just give him the money and not expect anything in return. I disagree. He doesn't have a very good track record with money, so I'm a little worried that my investment will be lost. Should I loan him the money and hope for the best or just tell him no and hope he doesn't get too upset?
The Perfect Mutual Fund
The Perfect Mutual Fund is the one you build yourself!
Can Using Sales Leaseback Method of Investment Property Acquisition Reduce Risk?
Sales Leaseback compared to traditional property investment
What Age Should I Start Saving For Retirement?
Ask this question to 100 people and you will receive 100 very different answers. The fact of the matter is there is no right age to start. But don't fret (did I just say fret?) knowledge is power!
Dont Catch a Falling Knife
One of the most common mistakes made by inexperienced investors is trying to "catch a falling knife". This is the phrase used to describe the habit of buying stocks that are in "freefall", and is a poor strategy, albeit common among new investors. Sadly, it is a common practice even among old and experienced investors. I've even fallen prey to it myself.
Art Investing for a Financial Future
When we think of investing we probably conjure images in our minds of the New York Stock Exchange, suited stock brokers making deals, bonds and treasury bills, and all manner of financial matters. The last thing we probably think about is art. Art investing, however, can be a big money business, and can create incredible financial gains and losses for those who choose to speculate in the art market.
|
