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Friday, November 9, 2007

Exposure

see Position and Mismatch. Various methods of calculating an exposure exist (i) Net working capital - The current assets in a foreign currency minus current liabilities in the currency; (ii) Net financial method - The current assets in a foreign currency minus current liabilities and long term debt in the currency; (iii) Monetary/non-monetary method - Monetary assets and liabilities in the foreign currency are valued at present exchange rates, while non-monetary items are entered at the relevant historic rates.

Expiry Date

The last date on which an option can be bought or sold.

Expiration Month

The month in which an option expires.

Expiration Date

(1) Options - the last date after which the option can no longer be exercised. (2) Bonds-the date on which a bond matures.

Exotic

A less broadly traded currency.

Exercise Value

For a call option, this is the amount by which the strike price is below the underlying investment; for a put option, it is the amount by which the strike price is above the underlying investment.

Exercise Price

See Strike price.

Exercise Limit

A limit on the number of options contracts a holder may exercise within a specific period.

Exercise Notice

The formal notification that the holder of a call (or put) option wishes to buy (or sell) the underlying security at the exercise price.

Exchange Control

A system of controlling inflows and outflows of foreign exchange, devices include licensing multiple currencies, quotas, auctions, limits, levies and surcharges.

European Union

The group formerly known as the European Community.

European Option

An option that can be exercised only on its expiration date rather than before that date.

Euromark

Deutschmarks traded on the Eurocurrency market.

Eurofranc

Swiss Franc or Belgian Francs traded on the Eurocurrency market. Normally Swiss Francs are the more common currency.

Eurodollars

US dollars deposited in a bank (US or non US) located outside the USA.

Eurobonds

A long-term loan issued in a currency other than that of the country or market in which it is issued. Interest is paid without the deduction of tax.

Euro Clear

A computerized settlement and depository system for safe custody, delivery of, and payment for Eurobonds.

End/End

Indicates that both the spot and forward maturity, or two forward maturities in a swap transaction, fall due on the last business day of appropriate calendar months.

Economic Indicator

A statistic which indicates current economic growth rates and trends such as retail sales and employment.

Easing

Modest decline in price

Durable Goods Orders

Durable Goods Orders are a measure of the new orders placed with domestic manufacturers for immediate and future delivery of factory hardgoods. Durable Goods Orders are a major indicator of manufacturing sector trends because most industrial production is done to order.

Disposable Income

Earnings after tax.

Discount

(1) See forward Rate. Forward rate is lower than spot rate (2) an option that is trading for less than its intrinsic value.

Diagonal (bull or bear) Spread

The purchase of a longer maturity option and the sale of a shorter maturity, lower exercise price option. The choice of calls or puts will determine its bear or bull character.

Devisenkassamarkt

German for spot exchange market.

Devisen, Devises

Foreign exchange in German and French respectively.

Devaluation

Deliberate downward adjustment of a currency against its fixed parities or bands, normally by formal announcement.

Details

All the information required to finalize a foreign exchange transaction, i.e. name, rate, dates, and point of delivery.

Desk

Term referring to a group dealing with a specific currency or currencies.

Derivatives

A broad term relating to risk management instruments such as futures, options, swaps, etc. The contract value moves in relation to the underlying instrument or currency. The issue of derivatives and their control following large losses by banks and corporates has been subject of much debate.

Depreciation

A fall in the value of a currency due to market forces rather than due to official action.

Deposit Dealings

Money Market operations.

Deport

French term for discount.

Depo

Deposit

Delta Spread

A ratio spread of options established as a neutral position by using the deltas of the options concerned to determine the hedge ratio.

Delta Hedging

A method used by option writers to hedge risk exposure of written options by purchase or sale of the underlying instrument in proportion to the delta.

Delta

The change in the value of the option premium made fully paid by the capitalisation of reserves and given relative to the instantaneous change in the value of the underlying instrument, expressed as a coefficient.

Delivery

The settlement of a futures contract by receipt or tender of a financial instrument or currency.

Delivery Points

Those locations designated by futures exchanges at which the currency represented by a futures contract may be delivered in fulfillment of the contract.

Delivery Month

The calendar month in which a futures contract comes to maturity and becomes deliverable.

Delivery Date

The date of maturity of the contract, when the exchange of the currencies is made. This date is more commonly known as the value date in the FX or Money markets.

Deflator

Difference between real and nominal Gross National Product, which is equivalent to the overall inflation rate.

Deficit

Shortfall in the balance of trade, balance of payments, or government budgets.

Declaration Date

The latest day or time by which the buyer of an option must indicate to the seller his intention to execute the option.

Dealing Board

The panel of communications equipment forming part of a dealer's desk.

Deal Ticket

The primary method of recording the basic information relating to a transaction.

Deal Date

The date on which a transaction is agreed upon.

Daylight Exposure Limit

see intra day position.

Current Balance

The value of all exports (goods plus services) less all imports of a country over a specific period of time, equal to the sum of trade and invisible balances plus net receipt of interest, profits and dividends from abroad.

Current Account

The net balance of a country's international payment arising from exports and imports together with unilateral transfers such as aid and migrant remittances. It excludes capital flows.

Crossed Market

The situation which exists when a broker's bid is higher than the lowest offer of another broker.

Cross Hedge

A technique using financial futures to hedge different but related cash instruments based on the view that the price movements between the instruments move in concert.

Cross Deal

A foreign exchange deal entered into involving two currencies, neither of which is the base currency.

Credit Lombard

See Lombard rate.

CPSS

Committee on Payment and Settlement Systems.

Covered Margin

The interest rate margin between two instruments denominated in different currencies after taking account of the cost of forward cover.

Covered Call Write

A strategy of writing call options against a long position in the underlying asset. A covered put write being based on a short position in the asset.

Cover

(1) To take out a forward foreign exchange contract. (2) To close out a short position by buying currency or securities which have been sold.

Courtier

French term for broker.

Court

French for "short" as in une position courte.

Cours Officiel

Official exchange rate.

Cours du Change

Exchange rate.

Counter Value

Where a person buys a currency against the dollar it is the dollar value of the transaction.

Counter Party

The other organisation or party with whom the exchange deal is being transacted.

Cost of Living Index

Broadly equivalent to Retail Price Index or Consumer price.

Correspondent Bank

The foreign banks representative who regularly performs services for a bank which has no branch in the relevant centre, e.g. to facilitate the transfer of funds. In the US this often occurs domestically due to inter state banking restrictions.

Covered Call

A term used in the foreign exchange market for the US Dollar/British Pound rate.

Cover

Calls are sold on the underlying currency with strikes which are higher than the market price. The strike price limits the profit that can be realized from the position.

Contract

An agreement to buy or sell a specified amount of a particular currency or option for a specified month in the future (See Futures contract).

Contract Expiration Date

The date on which a currency must be delivered to fulfill the terms of the contract. For options, the last day on which the option holder can exercise his right to buy or sell the underlying instrument or currency.

Consumer Price Index

Monthly measure of the change in the prices of a defined basket of consumer goods including food, clothing, and transport. Countries vary in their approach to rents and mortgages. Rising CPI is normally associated with expectation of higher short term interest rates and may therefore be supportive for a currency in the short term. Nevertheless, a longer term inflation problem will eventually undermine confidence in the currency and weakness will follow.

Comptant

French term for spot settlement in foreign exchange.

Comex

Commodity Exchange of New York.