Effect of Interest Rate on Foreign Exchange Rate

Central banks use two types of transactions: spot transactions (an agreement between two parties to buy or sell currency in exchange for another at the current exchange rate) which are settled within two business day (Spot Transactions, n.d.) and forward transactions which are contracts trading in the over the counter markets (OTC) that lock in the exchange rate of a currency to be bought or sold in the future. An example of forward transaction would be when an American company sells its goods to a Mexican company to be paid in one year and the American company enters into a forward transaction to lock the amount of money to be paid in the future. (Currency Forward Definition,

As the leading financial market in the world, the Foreign Exchange Market consists of several types of financial institutions, such as, investors, such as, central banks, brokers, and investment firms. The Foreign Exchange Market does not have an actual physical location; it is a worldwide system of computers. Currency traders are linked together from all over the world by these computers. Once currency traders enter the network, the computers allow them to exchange currencies by purchasing, selling, or speculating ("Foreign Exchange Markets - Forex - Investopedia Definition | Investopedia," n.d.). In the Foreign Exchange Market, also called Forex Market, trillions of transactions are completed everyday. Within this market are the spot market and forward market. Spot transactions take place in the spot market. A spot transaction occurs when one currency is traded for another currency. These types of transactions are immediate, however it takes two business days for the bank to process this transaction due to different time zones (Standard Bank, n.d.). Forward transactions occur in the forward market and are often called foreign exchange contracts. Unlike spot transactions, forward market transactions are set to occur on a specified future date. The agreement and exchange rate of the transaction is already determined, however, it will be traded at a future date, which is noted in the contract (Standard Bank, n.d.). Many historical

Wong (2009) found that there exists a long-run relationship between real exchange rate and terms of trade in Malaysia and Thailand and also variation in real exchange rate is mostly explained by the movements in terms of trade. Bashir and Luqman (2014), however, concluded that terms of trade depreciates real exchange rate of Pakistan in the long run.

Before we look at these forces, we should sketch out how exchange rate movements affect a nation 's trading relationships with other nations. A higher currency makes a country 's exports more expensive and imports cheaper in foreign markets; a lower currency makes a country 's exports cheaper and its imports more expensive in foreign markets. A higher exchange rate can be expected to lower the country 's balance of trade, while a lower exchange rate would increase it.

One needs to have a base level understanding of what defines an exchange rate. According to Investopedia, a foreign exchange rate is “The price of one country's currency expressed in another country's currency. In other words, the rate at which one currency can be exchanged for another.”(Investopedia, 2012) The process by which foreign exchange rates are determined is really not any different than any other

Exchange rates play a pivotal role in the relationships between individual economies and the global economy. Almost all financial flows are processed through the exchange rate, as a result the movements and fluctuations of the exchange have a significant impact on international competitiveness, trade flows, investment decisions and many other factors within the economy. Due to the increasing globalisation of the world economy, trade and financial flows are becoming more accessible

An exchange rate is the price for which one currency is worth converted into another rate. The exchange rate is determined by the supply and demand conditions of relevant currencies in the market transaction of currency exchanges occur in the foreign exchange markets. For example, currently, the £1 is worth $1.67 which means that at this stage, the pound is stronger than the dollar. Businesses should ensure that they frequently check the exchange rates to see if any changes to their prices need to be made or if the exchange rate benefits them. If Iron Bru were to export a large amount of products to a country such as Germany or Poland, there will

Foreign exchange rates are best described as simply the price of a country’s money expressed in another country’s money. In simple words, it is the rate at which a currency can be swapped for another. An example of determining foreign exchange rates is by substituting goods for currencies. Another example is the yuan-dollar exchange will depend on how well the demand and supply moves. When the demand for dollars in China climbs and supply does not go up correspondingly, each dollar will cost more yuan to buy. (Colander, 2010)

With the mortgage crisis recorded in the United States, the country’s currency declined in value in respect to other world currencies. Increase in money supply led to an increase in the volume of money in circulation in the United States. This led to a rise in prices of goods. Because of this, the value of the dollar declined in the international money markets. The decline in value of the dollar led to imports becoming very expensive. This further reduced the country’s production capability, leading to a further economic decline. A devalued currency makes a country’s exports cheaper than those of other countries. This has the potential of boosting the level of exports in countries with devalued currency thus reducing their balance of

Directly connected to changes in the U.S. interest rates are the value of U.S. Treasury Bonds. In the United States, the Treasury yield curve is the first to reflect changes in domestic interest rates. As the yield curve moves up or down, this largely dictates how global rates are set. Since Treasury bonds are considered a risk free asset, any other security must offer a higher yield to remain attractive. With interest rates expecting to increase, a great deal of pressure is put on emerging markets to remain attractive investment opportunities. Higher interest rates will likely follow with a higher dollar, and entice many global investors to park their money in the United States rather than emerging markets. This could ultimately hinder developing nation’s employment levels, currencies and exports.

American Express provides an online currency exchange service to its customers and small businesses. To maintain competitiveness, the company must ensure that their service is secure, easy to use and cost effective. There are innumerable and continuous opportunities for the company to take advantage of other companies or businesses that need to manage foreign currency and exchange rates. The opportunities exist in established markets as well as emerging markets. The increase in access and usage of the internet makes it easier to find buyers or suppliers even in remote places ("Online Currency Exchange", 2016).

Stanek, M. B. (2002). A review of exchange rate policies and their effect upon nations and

International trading of currency within different countries has some of the same terms with the same meaning. None the less, although each country has a monetary system, problems can still arise whenever the exchange of capital is taking place remotely. Brigham

You cannot buy for cheaper because the seller would rather sell to government at higher price.

A fixed exchange rate regime will offer an economy greater stability in international prices and therefore encourage trade. Additionally, for developing countries a fixed rate will assist in promoting institutional discipline as the country will adopt restrictive monetary and fiscal policies that foster an anti-inflationary environment. A significant weakness of a fixed rate is that it is subject to destabilizing speculative attacks which could lead to financial meltdowns and devastating economic contractions. A floating exchange rate regime allows central banks to combat macroeconomic factors such as unemployment, inflation, and interest rates without having to worry about the effect on exchange rates. However, developing countries whose economies depend on trade will be reluctant to allow their exchange rates to fluctuate freely.