Dynamic Hedging of Currency Risk in Investment Strategies

Abstract

Often, investors fully hedge their portfolios for currency risk. This can lead to significant drag in performance for currencies with negative carry. However, not hedging the foreign currency exposure can lead to significant drawdowns, especially for conservative investments. In this paper, we consider a conservative, global tactical asset allocation strategy implemented in US dollar denominated securities for a hypothetical, European investor and highlight the benefits of dynamic currency hedging over static hedging. Using a parsimonious model for hedge ratio based on multiple features of merit and an explicit check for maximum allowed under-hedging, we show that a cost aware, dynamic hedging strategy can reduce the hedging costs substantially while keeping the portfolio risk within mandate specifications.

Keywords: Foreign Exchange, Derivatives, Currency Risk, Optimal Hedging, Dynamic Asset Allocation

JEL Classification: C61, F31, G11, G12, G15