Mitigation of foreign Direct investment risk and hedging

Instruments of risk mitigation play an important role in managing country risk within the foreign direct investment (FDI) decision. Our study assesses country risk by state-dependent preferences and introduces futures contracts as a tool of risk mitigation. We show that country risk assessments related to foreign direct investment do not matter if the multinational firm enters currency futures markets. Besides currency risk, multinationals cross-hedge country risk via the derivatives market. This may explain the empirical result, why host country risk is not a significant determinant of FDI (Bevan/Estrin 2004) together with the fact that almost all (92 %) of the world's top 500 companies enter derivatives markets for hedging purposes (ISDA 2008). --state-dependency,country risk,foreign direct investment,hedging

Optimal hedge ratio and elasticity of risk aversion

We apply the mean-standard deviation paradigm to examine a widely used model of the hedging literature. As the hedging model satisfies a scale and location condition the mean-standard deviation technique provides more intuition for the revision of the firm's optimum risk taking when price volatility changes. By introducing risk aversion elasticity we describe the interaction of price risk and optimum hedge. We show that with unit risk aversion elasticity optimum hedge ratio is invariant to changes in price volatilities.elasticity of risk aversion

Liquidity constrained exporters: Trade and futures hedging

We present a model of risk averse exporting firm subject to liquidity constraints. The firm enters an unbiased futuresmarket to hedge exchange rate risk and may not be able to satisfy high margin calls. Then the firm is forced toprematurely liquidate the futures position. We show that preferences and expectations become important for optimumexport and hedging decisions, i.e. separation theorem and full hedge theorem are violated. Furthermore, internationaltrade is affected, for only firms that have sufficient financial resources fully exploid gains from trade. --liquidity constraint,trade,futures,hedging

Differential Taxation and Corporate Futures-Hedging

Using a two-moment decision model this paper analyzes corporate hedging behavior in the presence of unified and differential income taxation. We start with the well-known result that risk-taking may increase when income tax rates increase and, therefore, the incentive for hedging reduces. We demonstrate that pure hedging is differently affected by taxation than speculative hedging is. Analysing tax-sensitivity of the corporate hedge shows that a higher risk in the first place may reduce the tax-induced incentive to revise a futures position. --taxation,hedging,mean-variance model,unified and differential taxation,Roy preference function

Export and benefits of hedging in emerging economies

We study the impact of exchange rate risk upon export production within an emerging economy lacking in currency forward markets. However there exists a financial asset whose price is correlated with the relevant foreign currency. We present conditions under which export production is stimulated when the hedging device becomes more effective. In any case the exporting firm benefits from imperfectly hedging exchange rate risk. --Emerging markets,transition economy,export,exchange rate risk,price risk,hedging

Export production, hedging exchange rate risk: the duopoly case

This paper studies a Cournot duopoly in international trade so that the firms are exposed to exchange rate risk. A hedging opportunity is introduced by a forward market where the foreign currency can be traded on. We investigate two settings: First we assume that hedging and output decisions are taken simultaneously. We show that hedging is just done for risk managing reasons as it is not possible to use hedging strategically. In this setting the well-known separation result of the competitive firm holds if both firms have the hedging opportunity. In the second setting the hedging decisions are made before the output decisions. We show that hedging is used not only to manage the risk exposure but also as a strategic device. Furthermore we find that no separation result can be stated. --Exchange Rate risk,hedging,exports,duopoly

Elasticity of risk aversion and international trade

This note analyzes export production in the presence of exchange rate uncertainty under mean-variance preferences. We present the elasticity of risk aversion, since this elasticity concept permits a distinct investigation of risk and expectation effects on exports. Counterintutitive results are possible, e.g. though the home currency is revaluating (devaluating) exports of the firm increase (decrease). This fact may contribute to the explanation of disturbing empirical results.Exchange rate risk, trade, elasticity of risk aversion, meanvariance model, devaluation

Utility Functions of Equivalent Form and the Effect of Parameter Changes on Optimum Decision Making

We derive a class of utility functions that are equivalent with respect to a well-defined functional form. We study the case of constant relative risk aversion (of some order) to investigate on different equivalence relations in order to determine the, possibly infinite, number of equivalence classes when utility functions satisfy a specific form. Then we apply our results to standard applications in economics and finance, for example, to the effect of price volatility on optimum hedging. --equivalence class,risk aversion,sensitivity analysis

Elasticity of risk aversion and international trade

This note analyzes export production in the presence of exchange rate uncertainty under mean-variance preferences. We present the elasticity of risk aversion, since this elasticity concept permits a distinct investigation of risk and expectation effects on exports. Counterintutitive results are possible, e.g. though the home currency is revaluating (devaluating) exports of the firm increase (decrease). This fact may contribute to the explanation of disturbing empirical results.Exchange rate risk, trade, elasticity of risk aversion, meanvariance model, devaluation

Barriers to Diversification and Regional Allocation of Capital

In order to evaluate the allocational effectiveness of regional policy when harmonizing regional economic conditions firms? preferences play a pivot role. If harmonization hinders risk diversification of the firm, then instead of regional diversification of capital agglomeration of capital occurs. Hence, regional policy will not achieve its objective to equal the spatial allocation of capital. --Regional policy,agglomeration,diversification,allocation,risk aversion,prudence