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Sunday, September 9, 2007

Application of Currency Option

The users of the option market are widespread and varied, but the main users are organisations whose business involves foreign exchange risk. Options may be a suitable means of removing that risk and are an alternative to forward foreign exchange transactions. In general, the exchange traded options markets will be accessed by the professional market makers and currency risk managers, where the standardisation of options contracts promotes tradability, but this is at the expense of flexibility.
In spite of the fact that options are becoming more and more popular with corporate clients, funds and private individuals, there is still some client resistance to using options as a means to managing currency exposures. Some clients consider options to be expensive and/or speculative.
When you buy an option, the most you can lose is the premium (price paid for the option). In some cases, options can help minimise downside risk, while allowing participation in the upside potential. One of the reasons a client may choose to use an option, instead of a forward to manage their downside risk, is this opportunity to participate in the upside profit potential which is given up with a forward contract. Clients who buy currency options enjoy protection from any unfavourable exchange rate movements.
Companies use currency options to hedge contingent/economic exposures, hedge an existing currency exposure, and possibly profit from currency fluctuations, while funds may use options to enhance yield.
Sometimes a strategy may involve more than one option and some option strategies employ multiple and complex combinations. Certain combinations can yield a low or no-cost option strategy by trading off the premium spent on buying an option with the premium earned by selling an option.

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