Hedging Interest Rate Risks

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Case study: Another example “Explain how a two-year bill facility that uses 90-day bills poses interest rate risk for the borrower. Describe FRAs, BAB futures and interest rate swaps and explain how they can be used to hedge the interest rate risk involved in a planned issue of BABs. Demonstrate how each hedge instrument establishes the company’s cost of funds.” Businesses often require funds for a longer term than the usual 90-day term of a bill and so will be provided with a bill facility. This is an agreement to rollover bills on their maturity date by issuing a replacement set of bills, however there is potential that borrowers will be exposed to interest rate risk. Interest rate risk is basically the threat posed by unexpected changes in interest rates, in other words, it can be defined as the uncertainty surrounding expected returns on security, brought about by changes in interest rates. Given that a borrower uses 90-day bills under a two-year bill facility, the bills will be rolled over seven times so that the loan is repaid at the end of two years. This arrangement is a floating-rate arrangement that exposes the borrower to the risk of an unexpected rise in interest rates that will increase its cost of funds while not increasing its interest earned on the loan. The borrower faces interest rate risk throughout the period of the facility because the amount raised is determined by the spot rate each time the bills are issued. Should rates rise unexpectedly, the borrower would have to pay the higher-than-expected interest rate. For instance, should the spot 90-day rate be higher than the forward rate of the month, the borrower will have to pay more for its funds. The main method for managing interest rate risk is to use a derivative which is an instrument that features a forward settlement (or maturity) date. It provides the hedger with a forward rate that

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