Chapter 15 Flashcards
What is the exchange rate?
It is the price of a currency stated in terms of a second currency
What are the two ways in which exchange rates are denoted?
Units of domestic currency / unit of foreign currency
Units of foreign currency / domestic currency
(We focus on the first version)
What is appreciation?
It is when a currency becomes more valuable, foreign currency costs less
What is depreciation?
It is when a currency becomes less valuable, foreign currency costs more
What are the most frequently used currencies in world trade and finances?
U.S. dollar;
EU euro;
Japanese yen;
British pound.
What are flexible exchange rate systems?
Exchange systems where the value changes day to day, even minute to minute
What is the fixed exchange rate system?
It is when the value of the currency is fixed to the dollar
What is trade and invetment?
It is when traders, investors, and travellers routinely transact in foreign currencies
What is interest rate arbitrage?
It is when financial arbitrageurs will take advantage of interest rate differentials between countries; they borrow money where interest rates are low and lend it where interest rates are high
What is specualtion?
It is when speculators buy and sell currency in anticipation of changes in the currency’s value; speculators sell overvalued currencies and buy undervalued ones.
What are retail customers?
They are firms and individuals who hold foreign currency to buy goods and services, to travel, to adjust their portfolios, and to speculate
What are commercial banks?
They are banks that hold currencies as part of their services for their customers
What are foreign exchange brokers?
They are the middlemen between banks and buyers and sellers of foreign exchange
What are central banks?
They are banks that hold foreign exchange as reserves to supply domestic banks that need it
What do businesses operating in multiple countries encounter?
They encounter exchange rate risk due to the possibility of currency fluctuations
What is the forward exchange rate?
It is the price of a currency that will be delivered in the future
What is the forward market?
It is the market for the buying and selling of currencies for future delivery
What is the spot market?
It is the market for the buying and selling of currencies in the present
What is hedging?
It is when investors and speculators use the forward market to protect against unanticipated currency fluctuations
What do investors and speculators engage in when they borrow in markets with low interest rates?
Interest rate arbitrage
What do investors and speculators engage in when they hedge against currency fluctuations?
They are engaging in covered interest arbitrage
What does an increase in supply do to the price? Decreases?
It lowers the price. It raises the price
What does an increase in demand do to the price? A decrease?
Raise the price, lower the price
What do price changes for foreign currency assume?
It assumes that there is a flexible exchange rate system