Blades, Inc. Case Study Analysis PaperFactors of Foreign Exchange RatesExchange rates are the amount of one country’s currency needed to purchase one unit of another currency and the foreign exchange market is the monetary nexus between countries that makes it possible for global trade to be accomplished more efficiently than barter. The foreign exchange market is where one countries’ currency is exchanged for another because each nation uses its own monetary unit. Therefore, if people in one nation want to acquire goods in another nation, currency must be replaced from one country for the other country to accommodate the business deal.

Foreign exchange rates, at the most basic level, are derived from long-term economic fundamentals. These variables weigh and measure the value of one currency to another. Over time, these economic fundamentals and macro-factors will lead to very long-term trends. From the fundamentalist's perspective, the main factors that affect foreign exchange rates are Interest rates, Trade balance, Inflation, GDP (Gross Domestic Product), and Employment Statistics.

Case SummaryBlades, Inc. needed to order supplies two months ahead of the delivery date. The company considered an order from a Japanese supplier that required a payment of 12.5 million yen payable as of the delivery date. Blades had two choices to either purchase two call options contracts (since each option contract represented 6,250,000 yen) or purchase one futures contract (which represented 12.5 million yen).

The futures price on yen had historically exhibited a slight discount from the existing spot rate. However, the firm would have liked to use currency options to hedge payables in Japanese yen for transactions two months in advance. Blades would have preferred hedging their yen payable positions because the company was uncomfortable leaving the position open given the