Being under the wrong impression that the price of a currency transfer depends only on commission and fees, one might wonder why different companies offer different exchange rates for currency transfers or currency transactions in all. Currency transfer specialists and Forex brokers do not. Knowing the origin and extent of exchange rate volatility, they rather work to minimise the risk fluctuations might incur through the so-called “currency options” or “FX options.” They are a financial tool that allows hedging against unfavourable fluctuations in exchange rates. Using such derivatives is a perfect example of lowering risks and costs in currency transfers and transactions of all kinds.
In general, the currency option is a contract that grants the broker or individual to buy or sell a particular currency at a fixed exchange rate during a particular time period. The contract holder is not bound to execute the option but for this right he pays a premium to the other contractor. The two types of currency options are called “put” and “call” options, depending on the broker’s intention to sell or buy a particular currency, respectively. Not surprisingly, the market for FX options is the most liquid and developed financial market in today’s globalised world. It is primarily an OTC (Over-the-counter) market but currency options are also traded on the floor of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange and Nasdaq. Just recently, Deutsche Bank AG launched an electronic trading system for foreign exchange options.
Although the basic principles of currency options are simple and easy to understand, it is not recommended to enter this market on one’s own. There are various fundamentals that influence the currency exchange rates and movements and you’d better consult an expert for advice on currency options’ use. However, currency transfer companies conduct such transactions and research every day, so they benefit from currency fluctuations and are able to provide you with reasonable advice about your planned currency transfer.
Currency options are available for practically all major world currencies. On the floor of Nasdaq are traded U.S. dollar-settled options on the Australian dollar, British pound, Canadian dollar, Euro, Japanese yen, Mexican peso, New Zealand dollar, Norwegian krone, South African rand, Swedish krona and Swiss franc, for instance.
Until recently currency options were traded via a phone call because the implementation of electronic trading was hard due to currency options’ extreme complexity. On the other hand, the currency options market is a huge one and stands at $207 billion a day, according to data by the Bank for International Settlements.
Such enormous daily volumes allow you currency transfer operator to leverage its long and short currency position; hence, you get a more favourable exchange rate for your personal or business transaction. Brokers utilise at least several models to forecast exchange rate movements and in the majority of cases no more is required to offer you an advantageous rate against a particular currency. The most popular currency pairs include USD/EUR, USD/GBP, USD/JPY, EUR/JPY, EUR/CHF, USD/CHF and EUR/GBP but many more are quoted on the floor of various stock exchanges and OTC markets.