ShortCourseinFXFutures&Options

[Pages:30]Short Course in FX Futures & Options

Rutsen Meier Belmont (RMB) Group

WELCOME TO THE EXCITING WORLD OF FX FUTURES & OPTIONS

In just a few short years, foreign exchange (known as Forex or FX)

trading has exploded. The global foreign currency market is huge and

extremely liquid -- routinely logging transactions in excess of $3.5 trillion

every 24-hours around the world. Most of these transactions take place

between large, institutional traders. Currencies trade in relation to each

other in "pairs" or "crosses". Because

one currency is always rising or falling

"Trading currency

versus another, there is always a bull

pairs gives you dozens of brand-new diversification plays."

market somewhere in the foreign currency market. Trading currency pairs gives you dozens of brand-new diversification plays.

The disruption of the bull market in stocks and low yields in bonds and CDs caused many investors to look for alternatives to traditional investments. This helped foreign currency trading become increasingly popular with smaller, less well-capitalized traders.

In order to enter the institutional (wholesale) foreign currency market -- where transactions are routinely in excess of $1 million per trade -- smaller cash FX investors came to rely on a network of middlemen known as Forex or FX (retail) dealers to make markets in smaller lot sizes more suitable to their available capital. Both are Over-the-Counter (OTC) markets; no government regulated exchange is involved.

Most cash Forex dealers take the other side of customer trades and provide their own in-house trading platforms where they supply the quotes for currency trading pairs to their customers.

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This report highlights critical differences between trading currencies using the over-the-counter dealer system and using regulated exchanges. The sidebars on the next three pages give you a quick overview of the major differences.

CASH FOREX

Cash FX is OTC (Over the Counter) on the "Interbank" market -- Banktraded cash FX has minimum round lots of $500K to $1 million. Banks trade with each other. $100K lots are considered "small."

ADVANTAGES OF FX FUTURES & OPTIONS

Smaller cash traders must use FX dealers -- The FX dealer is the market

maker. The dealer takes the other side of

If you are trading with a private dealer or wondering whether trading

investors' trades, consolidates smaller orders and lays off risk in the interbank market. Quotes may not match the

currencies is right for you, you should know about FX futures and options. FX futures and options trade on government regulated exchanges and, unlike the retail cash FX dealer market, trade with full bid/ask price transparency. Prices are set by the marketplace, not just one dealer, and the latest bid/ask

interbank market ? a potential to "run" stops ? especially in exotics. FX dealers can make money "trading against" their customers.

FX dealers don't charge commissions -- Retail investors usually pay a "spread" of 3 to 5 "pips" when entering and exiting positions. A "pip" is 1/100th of a percent or roughly $10 per

and last transaction price are publicly quoted by the second.

traded lot, assuming an underlying currency value of $100K. 3 pips in and out is the equivalent of a $60 futures

This levels the playing field by giving smaller traders access to the

commission. Spreads for exotics and cross rates are often much higher, sometimes in excess of 100 "pips".

same prices and allied information,

like volume, as the big boys. All trans-

actions are cleared and guaranteed by the exchange Clearing Corporation ?

one of the great success stories of modern finance.

DEFAULT-FREE TRADES

The Clearing Corporation stands in the middle of every transaction, acting as the buyer to all sellers and the seller to all buyers. This eliminates counterparty risk by guaranteeing every trade, making sure all participants

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pony-up enough capital in the form of margin to honor their obligations as prices change. (For more on this, see the discussion of futures margin later in this report.)

Since the advent of the modern Clearing Corporation in 1925, not one

penny has been lost in FX futures

and FX futures options due to coun-

FX FUTURES & OPTIONS

terparty risk. This includes the Great Depression, when over half of 30,000 banks were wiped out along with

Exchange traded market -- This

thousands of trusts, bond houses, in-

means the Clearing Corporation is buyer to all sellers and seller to all buyers; there is no counterparty risk. Not one penny has been lost due to counterparty risk since the advent of the modern Clearing

surance companies and foreign currency specialty dealers ...and the crisis starting in 2007 when over $700 billion in various OTC contracts

Corporation in 1925.

defaulted.

Transparent market -- All quotes are made public, so a customer trades with the world, not just his dealer. Futures brokers cannot run stops like FX dealers because everyone is using the same market info. FX dealers can use prices outside the ranges of the interbank market to fill customers. Futures brokers are bound by reality.

Option compatability -- There are no options readily tradable in the over- thecounter (OTC) cash FX market. Consequently, most FX dealers do not offer option trading as an adjunct to cash FX. FX futures traders can use matched options to protect positions.

FUTURES & OPTIONS In nearly every case, exchange-

traded futures and option contracts are liquid and public. Prices are determined by the "open outcry" of trades in a "ring" or "pit" or through an electronic auction taking place at light-speed in a computer. While most trading today takes place on electronic exchanges, certain option transactions still require the expertise of a floor broker, trading on an exchange floor.

Greater liquidity than PHLX alternatives -- This results in better fills. The SPAN margin system used for futures op-

tions means less margin required for

spreads and other professional strate-

gies than PHLX.

For most of their 2,000-year history, options have been a mystery to most investors. While that is changing, most individual investors have only a vague notion of options.

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What we can do is remove some of the mystery by explaining options in clear and concise terms.

In many cases, these tools will work as well for investors with a few thousand dollars as they will for investors with millions. Don't worry if you don't "get it" right away. Read this report, put it down for a day or two, and then go over it again. A couple of careful readings can help clarify things for you.

FUTURES TUTORIAL

Myths and Realities -- Risks and Rewards There is a great deal of mystique surrounding futures contracts. Many

stockbrokers and financial advisors will caution you against getting involved in futures and options or dismiss these markets as pure speculation. They are partly right.

If you use the traditional "roll the dice" methodology practiced by many beginning traders and brokers, your odds of success are very low. Because they can involve a high degree of leverage, futures and options entail a high degree of risk.

When used properly, futures and options may provide exciting and very substantial rewards ? and in numerous cases prove to be the optimal strategy, even for the most conservative investor.

What is a futures contract? A futures or "commodity" contract is an agreement between two people. The "seller" of a futures contract agrees to deliver a specific item to the "buyer" for a certain price on a fixed date in the future.

The buyer of a futures contract agrees to take delivery of the same item under the same terms. The buyer of a futures contract is said to be "long" the market. The "seller" of a futures contract is said to be "short" the market.

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FX futures contracts are essentially "paper transactions" as they do not involve the purchase and sale of actual investment instruments. They are contracts for delivery at a future date. Because no delivery takes place prior to a specified period, no money changes hands. The vast majority of FX futures contracts are exited prior to the delivery period, so actual foreign currency rarely changes hands.

Instead, both the buyer and the seller must post margin with their respective brokers. Margin requirements are set by the individual exchanges and, for the most part, based upon volatility and not price. Unlike stocks, the treatment of long and short futures contracts positions is identical. Unlike a short seller in stocks, the seller of a futures contract does not need to "borrow" his contract from another party -- making it just as easy to sell as to buy.

Unlike stock margin, margin to trade an FX futures contract is not a down payment on a loan. It is a performance bond that guarantees your broker that you are good for a fixed amount of losses.

Not only do you not pay interest on a margin deposit, you can receive interest while using the money to back up your positions. How? By posting margin with your broker in the form of a U.S. Treasury bill. Since a T-bill is backed by the U.S. government, it is nearly as good as cash, so most brokers accept it. Meanwhile, you get to keep the interest.

PRACTICAL EXAMPLE

"Go Long" Emerging Markets Using Australian Dollar Futures The two biggest macroeconomic stories of our generation are the

growth of the global economy and the explosion of the Forex market. Not surprisingly, they are related. As world trade grows, so does the importance of exchange rates. FX futures and options offer investors a direct way to profit from changing exchange rates, letting them make both pro-dollar and anti-dollar bets with relative ease.

There are liquid, easy-to-trade futures and options contracts on the Australian dollar, British Pound, Canadian dollar, Eurocurrency, Japanese yen and Swiss franc. These currencies are quoted in relation to the dollar, but can

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be traded against each other ? a practice known as "cross trading" or "cross rate trading".

For instance, if an investor believes the European economy will perform worse than the British economy, he or she could buy the British Pound and simultaneously sell the Euro, betting the Euro would decline in relation to the Pound or that the Pound would rise faster than the Euro.

"When used properly, futures and options contracts may provide exciting and very substantial rewards ? and in numerous cases prove to be the optimal strategy,

For our example, let's consider

even for the most

the Australian dollar contract ? a

conservative investor."

direct play on global growth. Countries

like China and India are growing by

leaps and bounds. As they become more affluent, their demand for con-

sumer goods grows. Greater demand for more houses, cars and gadgets

means greater consumption of raw materials like iron ore, copper and other

industrial metals.

More affluence also correlates with a varied diet that includes meat. Meat requires a lot more grain than a diet of grain itself ? 10 times more for chicken, many times that for beef and pork. Where will the expanding populations of China and India find these resources? The first place they'll look is close to home.

Australia is geographically close to the fast-growing nations of Asia. It is also rich in mineral and agricultural resources. Demand for Australian dollars to purchase these resources should help maintain fundamental buying support under the currency from "down under" as long as the global growth story remains intact. Strong demand for its natural resources means more foreign capital pours into Australia, causing the Australian central bank to keep interest rates high to guard against inflation, increasing the desirability of its currency even more. Why hold US T-bills yielding a paltry 0.25% when you can own Australian T-bills earning 4.25%?

Given its rich natural resources, proximity to Asia and relatively high

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interest rates, it's no wonder the Aussie dollar is one of the strongest currencies on the board. A long position in the Aussie buck is a bet that global growth will continue ? especially in the developing world ? and that the demand for commodities will remain strong as a result. FUTURES CONTRACT MECHANICS

Let's take a look at the Australian dollar futures traded on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME). Table 1 below is a reproduction of a daily price listing from the Wall Street Journal's website. Delayed FX futures and options quotes are free on websites like the CME (). You can also access quotes for futures prices for contracts on all major exchanges by going to and clicking on the "Quotes and Charts" link.

Table 1: Australian Dollar (CME)-AUD 100,000; $ per AUD

Jun 10 Sep 10 Dec 10

Open .8111 .8015 .8200

High .8345 .8260 .8200

Low .8065 .7984 .8050

Se le .8241 .8156 .8079

Chg High -.0014 .9330 -.0015 .9230 -.0013 .9005

Low Open Int .8065 109,679 .7900 4,468 .8050 395

Est vol 201,362; vol Thu 250,812; open int, 114,551, +2,809.

Note that the contract size is 100,000 Australian dollars and quoted in US cents per Australian dollar. This type of quote is "American style." American style currency quotes use the foreign currency as the "funding currency" and the US dollar as the "quoted currency". All full-sized CME currency contracts are quoted this way. The settlement price of .8241 for the June contract means that on the close of trading that day, one Australian dollar was worth 82.41 American cents.

Note that the December futures contract has a lower settlement price. It closed at 80.79 cents per Australian dollar the same day the June contract closed at 82.41 cents. The 1.62 cent difference represents the extra interest an investor would make if he or she held Australian dollars rather than American dollars. The interest is discounted in the price. If an investor held the December futures contract until expiration, he or she would collect the entire 1.62 cent difference.

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