What does it mean to hedge a financial transaction?

Hedging is a risk management strategy used in the financial industry to protect oneself against potential losses. It involves taking an offsetting position in a related security to reduce the risk associated with an existing investment. The main goal of hedging is not to make profits but to minimize the impact of adverse market movements, ensuring that potential losses are limited.

Hedging plays a crucial role in reducing the volatility of an investment portfolio and managing potential losses that may result from unforeseen events, such as market crashes or sudden economic changes. By mitigating risks, hedging strategies can help investors and financial institutions preserve their capital, stabilize their financial position, and protect their long-term investments.

Let's consider a U.S-based company that will need to pay €1,000,000 to a European supplier in 90 days. The company is exposed to currency risk due to possible fluctuations in the exchange rate between the U.S. dollar (USD) and the euro (EUR) during this period. To hedge this risk, the company can use a forward contract, which is a financial instrument allowing them to lock in an exchange rate today for a future transaction involving currency conversion. Suppose today, the exchange rate is 1 EUR = 1.2 USD. The company can enter into a forward contract to buy €1,000,000 at the 1.2 USD rate, meaning they would pay $1,200,000 in 90 days. If in 90 days, the exchange rate has increased to 1 EUR = 1.25 USD, the company would still pay only \(1,200,000, hence avoiding the additional cost of \)50,000. The forward contract has effectively hedged the currency risk faced by the company, minimizing their exposure to fluctuations in the euro-dollar exchange rate.