Types of Foreign Currency Hedging Vehicles

The following are some of the most common types of foreign currency hedging vehicles used in today's markets as a foreign currency hedge. While retail forex traders typically use foreign currency options as a hedging vehicle. Banks and commercials are more likely to use options, swaps, swaptions and other more complex derivatives to meet their specific hedging needs.

Spot Contracts - A foreign currency contract to buy or sell at the current foreign currency rate, requiring settlement within two days.

As a foreign currency hedging vehicle, due to the short-term settlement date, spot contracts are not appropriate for many foreign currency hedging and trading strategies. Foreign currency spot contracts are more commonly used in combination with other types of foreign currency hedging vehicles when implementing a foreign currency hedging strategy.

For retail investors, in particular, the spot contract and its associated risk are often the underlying reason that a foreign currency hedge must be placed. The spot contract is more often a part of the reason to hedge foreign currency risk exposure rather than the foreign currency hedging solution.

Forward Contracts - A foreign currency contract to buy or sell a foreign currency at a fixed rate for delivery on a specified future date or period.

Foreign currency forward contracts are used as a foreign currency hedge when an investor has an obligation to either make or take a foreign currency payment at some point in the future. If the date of the foreign currency payment and the last trading date of the foreign currency forwards contract are matched up, the investor has in effect "locked in" the exchange rate payment amount.

* Important: Please note that forwards contracts are different than futures contracts. Foreign currency futures contracts have standard contract sizes, time periods, settlement procedures and are traded on regulated exchanges throughout the world. Foreign currency forwards contracts may have different contract sizes, time periods and settlement procedures than futures contracts. Foreign currency forwards contracts are considered over-the-counter (OTC) due to the fact that there is no centralized trading location and transactions are conducted directly between parties via telephone and online trading platforms at thousands of locations worldwide.

Foreign Currency Options - A financial foreign currency contract giving the buyer the right, but not the obligation, to purchase or sell a specific foreign currency contract (the underlying) at a specific price (the strike price) on or before a specific date (the expiration date). The amount the foreign currency option buyer pays to the foreign currency option seller for the foreign currency option contract rights is called the option "premium."

A foreign currency option can be used as a foreign currency hedge for an open position in the foreign currency spot market. Foreign currency options can also be used in combination with other foreign currency spot and options contracts to create more complex foreign currency hedging strategies. There are many different foreign currency option strategies available to both commercial and retail investors.

Interest Rate Options - A financial interest rate contract giving the buyer the right, but not the obligation, to purchase or sell a specific interest rate contract (the underlying) at a specific price (the strike price) on or before a specific date (the expiration date). The amount the interest rate option buyer pays to the interest rate option seller for the foreign currency option contract rights is called the option "premium." Interest rate option contracts are more often used by interest rate speculators, commercials and banks rather than by retail forex traders as a foreign currency hedging vehicle.

Foreign Currency Swaps - A financial foreign currency contract whereby the buyer and seller exchange equal initial principal amounts of two different currencies at the spot rate. The buyer and seller exchange fixed or floating rate interest payments in their respective swapped currencies over the term of the contract. At maturity, the principal amount is effectively re-swapped at a predetermined exchange rate so that the parties end up with their original currencies. Foreign currency swaps are more often used by commercials as a foreign currency hedging vehicle rather than by retail forex traders.

Interest Rate Swaps - A financial interest rate contracts whereby the buyer and seller swap interest rate exposure over the term of the contract. The most common swap contract is the fixed-to-float swap whereby the swap buyer receives a floating rate from the swap seller, and the swap seller receives a fixed rate from the swap buyer. Other types of swap include fixed-to-fixed and float-to-float. Interest rate swaps are more often utilized by commercials to re-allocate interest rate risk exposure.

John Nobile - Senior Account Executive
CFOS/FX - Online Forex Spot and Options Brokerage

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What Commercial Real Estate Investors Should Know About Cap Rate

CAP rate or capitalization rate is the ratio of annual rental income of the property over the purchase price. This number is often shown on commercial property listings. So you must know this jargon if you want to invest in commercial real estate. Its commonly a number between 3% to 10%.

For those who invest in the stock market, cap rate is the equivalence of the inverse of P/E ratio. So a cap rate of 5% is equivalent to P/E ratio of 20. The main difference is in real estate the earning is real while it's accounting earning in the stock market where earning can be reinstated years down the road!

The higher the CAP rate the higher rental income the property produces and thus the less money you need for down payment. Experienced investors often look at the CAP rate to screen out properties with low rental income. Some investors prefer properties with the cap rate that is higher than the interest rate they pay for the loan. That way they know they collect more from the tenants than they pay the bank.

When the property has high vacancy rate, listing brokers often show proforma (or potential) CAP rate instead to catch investors attention. Lets use the following example to illustrate the point. A property is listed for $1M and is 90% leased. It has gross leases with an actual gross income of $90K/year and $30K of annual expense. Assuming the proforma income is $110K/year when its 100% leased at higher market rent. So 3 different listing brokers could display 3 different CAP rates for the same property:

The first broker may use NOI (Net Operating Income) of $60K/year ($90K of gross income less $30K of expenses) and thus the net CAP rate is 6%. This broker calculates the cap the way it should be.

The second broker may use the gross income of $90K and so the gross CAP rate is 9%.

The third broker may want to use the proforma income of $110K to get investors attention and thus the proforma CAP rate is 11%!

So as an investor, you need to know what CAP rate, e.g. net, gross or proforma the broker uses. Otherwise you may offer too much for the property. At the same time, when you tell your broker to look for properties with a certain CAP rate, make sure the broker knows what CAP rate you have in mind.

The returns of a commercial property investment come from 4 sources: appreciation, cash flow, i.e. cap rate, depreciation (tax writeoffs), and principal reduction from your mortgage payments. If you invest in the right property, the biggest chunk of your investment return should come from appreciation. There is often a conflict between cap rate and potential for strong appreciation. Properties that offer potential for strong appreciation, e.g. newer properties or ones in good location tend to have lower cap rate. On the other hand, properties that are in poor condition, or have ground lease are much harder to sell. As a result, seller will try to attract the buyers with a higher cap rate. If you see a property with unusually high cap rate in California, e.g. more than 7%, you should ask yourself whats wrong with this property? Chances are you will find a compelling reason why it is so high.

Is the property with highest cap rate the best property? The short answer is no. If investment was that simple, you would not need an investment advisor. Cap rate should be one of the various other factors you consider whether you should invest in a property. It should not be the only factor. Besides, you can improve the cap rate by

Increase the occupancy rate.

Raise the rent when the current leases expire.

Negotiate for leases with annual rent increase.

Bring in tenants willing to pay higher rent.

Improve the property to attract more upscale tenants.

Reduce the expenses not reimbursed by the tenants.

By doing so, you can increase the cap rate and consequently the value of your investment.

David V. Tran is the CEO at eFunding, Inc., a commercial real estate brokerage, commercial loan broker, property management, self-directed IRA investment and syndication company in San Jose, CA. His website is http://www.efundingcom.com. He may be contacted at (408) 288-5500. eFunding does business in all 50 states. You are welcome to share this report, unedited and in its entirety, with anyone you like. You may not remove this text. 2007 eFunding, Inc.

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