Hedging is important for both Exporters and Importers to manage their foreign exchange risk. Apart from hedging through banks through forwards and options where collateral have to be kept to enter into trade transactions and agreements like ISDA etc need to be signed , one can enter into futures transactions for 1-3 months (which are liquid) through currency exchanges promoted by NSE and MCX. The margins and rates are transparent and no exposures are required.
The major advantage of futures contracts is the existence of a liquid secondary market so they can be sold at any time on the open market and do not need to be held until maturity date.
Currency Futures are standardized instruments traded on exchanges that enable users to hedge price risk and/or take positions on how the underlying will move.USD/INR Futures are traded on NSE and MCX-SX and the volume has picked up tremendously over the last few months. It offers an excellent opportunity to resident individuals and corporate to hedge USD exposures or trade in the currency.
Futures market provides for hassle-free operations with minimum transaction cost and especially beneficial for SME’s and corporate which have issues obtaining limits with their bankers.
How is the forwards market different from the currency futures market?
OTC MARKET/FORWARDS |
CURRENCY FUTURES |
|
CONTRACTS |
Customized |
Standard |
UNDERLYING EXPOSURE |
Required |
Not Required |
PRICE TRANSPARENCY |
Low – bank margins are often difficult to estimate |
High, facilitated by price discovery on electronic screen |
ACCESS |
Subject to Credit Limits and security |
Subject to cash Margin based on daily MTM value |
DAILY MTM |
Available only on request |
Available on real-time basis |
CURRENCY TRADING |
Not permitted to non-bank entities |
No restrictions |
SETTLEMENT |
Physical Delivery or Cancellation |
Net settled in INR |
Contact us for more information on futures market operations, or call Anurag Murarka : 9920095265.