Hedge A hedge is an investment exposure through derivative
contracts or other means that is specifically designed to counteract
the impact of uncertain future price movements on the value of
a corresponding asset. For example, if firms have foreign
currency-denominated cash flows from foreign-operating subsidiaries,
they may enter into foreign exchange forward contracts to insulate
the value of these cash flows from fluctuations in the future
exchange rate. Alternatively, they may issue foreign currencydenominated
bonds to create an offsetting expense in foreign currency
in order to obtain a ‘natural hedge’ for their underlying
exposure.
Natural hedge See example given in definition of ‘Hedge’ above.
One-way arbitrage A strategy that seeks to profit from deviations
from interest rate parity by replicating only one of the mispriced
securities. For example, if foreign interest rates are lower than domestic
interest rates, even after currency risk is hedged with foreign
exchange forwards, borrowers might engage in ‘one-way arbitrage’
by borrowing money abroad, and hedging their currency risk with
currency swaps. In doing so, they effectively replicate home currency
borrowing with a suitable combination of foreign currency
borrowing and currency derivatives.
Opportunistic debt issuance The act of choosing the specific manner
in which firms or other entities borrow funds in an attempt to minimize expected borrowing costs in comparison to some baseline
level. For example, a firm facing high-borrowing costs in its home
market because of relatively high interest rates might choose to
issue bonds in a foreign jurisdiction in which prevailing interest
rates are much lower (an example of opportunistic FC debt
issuance).