When it comes to trading forex it should be stated that this market is one of the most volatile and fluctuating marketplaces around the world. In order to compensate for the market’s volatility and safeguard their funds, investors usually use a hedging strategy. So, what does hedging actually mean in Forex? Taking positions that move in the opposite direction of your current transaction is called “hedging”. The ultimate objective is to have a net-zero balance. Instead of closing your initial deal and reentering the market, a hedge enables you to keep your original trade open while generating money on a second one. Hedging strategies are one of the most important parts of risk management, as it helps us to minimize our losses and make our profit more optimized. In this article, we will mainly focus on which are the most popular hedging strategies in Forex trading.
Top 5 Hedging Strategies
One of the most common strategies among investors is taking the opposite direction while trading. As a rule, traders begin a trade and pick a direction based on their forecasts under normal conditions. You may trade both long and short positions while using this hedging forex strategy. Data and market forecasts will influence the strategy you are going to generate. The advantage of this strategy is that you can make money in both circumstances. No matter how the situation in the market will develop, in any case, you can see some benefits, depending on the amount of money you bet on a certain position. The drawback of this approach is that it is a must to have a closing strategy.
Another popular choice is trading with Forex options. To make it simple to understand, imagine that you invest your money in the USD with a forecast of its growth in value. With the help of this hedging strategy for Forex trading, you safeguard your position and bet on the opposite sides. So, no matter which way the market will go, you will still get some benefits. The pro of this technique is that it limits your exposure, which means that you can safeguard your funds and limit losses. While the main disadvantage is that if you want to get desirable results, you need to have a piece of proper knowledge and be experienced.
Next, we have hedging with correlating currency pairs. Using USD/CHF and EUR/USD as two negative currency pairings is the key to this strategy’s success. The USD serves as the counter currency here, and given both currency pairings have a negative correlation, the EUR/USD is likely to climb if the USD/CHF declines.
Using this knowledge, you may go short on the USD/CHF and long on the EUR/USD currency pair. Protecting your dollar exposure by keeping both positions open is a good idea. This method may be used with a variety of currencies. The advantage of this strategy is that it allows you to make money in both cases and benefit from the market situation. In addition to that, with this hedging approach, you can easily predict how the market situation will develop and how currency pairings are going to perform. So, if you have a basic knowledge of Forex you can diversify your portfolio and choose the most appealing one for you among the plethora of currency pairings. The main con of this strategy is that it is quite risky, especially when the currencies are volatile. If you don’t have enough knowledge and experience, it’s better not to try this approach in order to avoid losing money.
Another hedging strategy is known as hedging with CFDs. CFDs, also known as contracts for differences, can be quite beneficial for those traders who open short positions. When the market is volatile, you can buy CFDs and use them for hedging. In this case, similar to the opposite trading strategy, you can go against your position. You can get benefits from this approach as long as you bet on the two possible market situation developments. However, keep in mind that trading with CFDs can be risky, and in most cases, they may lead you to losses.
Hedging forex with forwards is also quite popular. With its characteristics and overall technique, it’s similar to hedging with options. Currency forwards are contracted for the exchange of a currency at an agreed-upon price in the future. Contracts, unlike options, must be fulfilled upon their expiration, either in cash or physically. In the same way that options allow you to lock in a price in advance and protect yourself from market fluctuations, FX forwards may do the same. Forwards are commonly mistaken with futures contracts, which are traded over the counter rather than on an exchange. The main thing about this hedging strategy is that it needs good knowledge and understanding of the market.
Hedging In Different Areas
Apart from the Forex market, there are many online markets that are using hedging strategies, including commodity and stock markets, among others. Similar to the Forex market, individuals and companies use hedging to reduce the risk of losing money in the commodity market. In addition to that, selling a futures contract provides protection if prices drop, but you may miss out on higher prices if they rise more than expected. After a spike in fuel prices in 2008, airlines now use hedges to protect against high jet fuel prices. It should also be noted that hedgers are required to pay margin, but the margin levels are often lower for hedgers than speculators.
Moreover, hedging is a common approach used by stock investors to mitigate the risk of liquidity in the stock market. A lack of buyers might cause traders to worry that a stock cannot be moved back and forth swiftly enough in the market without affecting its price. This is quite similar to the case of trading bonds and other financial instruments.
Final Thoughts
Hedging strategies are some of the most significant approaches in the financial markets when it comes to safeguarding your funds. The forex market, which is the world’s most volatile market, allows traders to use hedging strategies in order to minimize losses. So, when it comes to generating your strategy always try to involve hedging, in order to protect yourself from going bankrupt.
