If - Eurocurrency Final
If - Eurocurrency Final
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Some speculate that the term eurocurrency earned its kind of colloquial global use
because of the unique diversity of the European continent. Many small countries
are packed into a very small space on the land mass, with various laws and cultures
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meshing and colliding with each other. In modern times, the diversity of Europe
has led to the European Union, and the subsequent Euro, a European unit of money
that serves the entire EU community. In recent years, the national currencies of
most European Union member countries were phased out to make way for the
common Euro.
The extension of the word eurocurrency, which has nothing to do with the Euro,
means that a deposit from an Asian country to an African country would also
qualify as eurocurrency. The financial community has also coined terms for
specific foreign currency deposits, such as the Eurodollar, which also does not
refer to the European currency. A Eurodollar is a deposit of American money still
denominated in dollars that is in a bank outside of the U.S.
It is a market for borrowing and lending of currency at the centre outside the
country in which the currency is issued. It is different than the Foreign Exchange
Market, wherein the currency is bought and sold. Euro is a single currency which
was launched on 1st Jan1999 (With 11 of 15 member countries of the European
Union participating in the experiment). Now Euro is the official currency of 16 of
the 27 member states of the European Union (EU). These 16 states include some
of the most technologically advanced countries of the European continent and are
collectively known as the Euro zone. The states, known collectively as the
Eurozone are Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy,
Luxemberg, Malta, The Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia and Spain. The currency
is also used in a further five European countries with and without formal
agreements and is consequently used daily by some 327 million Europeans. Over
175 million people worldwide use currencies which are pegged to the Euro,
including more than 150 million people in Africa.
The Euro is an important international reserve currency. Euros have surpassed the
US dollar with the highest combined value of cash in circulation in the world. The
name Euro was officially adopted on 16th Dec 1995. The Euro was introduced to
the world financial markets as an accounting currency on 1 st Jan1999, replacing
the former European Currency Unit (ECU) at a ratio of 1:1.
The currency was introduced initially in non physical forms, such as travellers
cheques and electronic bank in Euro coins and banknotes entered circulation on
1st Jan, 2002. The Euro is administered by the European Central Bank (ECB) based
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in Frankfurt, and the Euro system, comprising of the various central banks of the
Euro zone nations.
One of the factors that make the Eurocurrency Market unique compared to many
other money market accounts is the fact that it is largely unregulated by
government entities. Since the banks deal with a variety of currencies issued by
foreign entities, it is difficult for domestic governments to intervene, particularly
in the United States. However, with the establishment of the flexible exchange rate
system in 1973, the Federal Reserve System was given powers to stabilize lending
currencies in the event of a crisis situation. But one problem that arises is that these
crises are not defined by the regulations i.e. intervention must be established based
on each case and the Federal Reserve must work directly with central banks around
the world to resolve the matter. This adds to the volatility of
the Eurocurrency Market.
Despite its name, the Eurocurrency Market is primarily influenced by the value of
the American dollar. Nearly two-thirds of all assets around the globe are
represented by U.S. currency. The challenge with foreign banks revolves around
the fact that regulations enforced by the Federal Reserve are only enforceable
within the U.S. The taxation level and exchange rate of the American dollar varies
depending on the nation. For example, an American dollar in Vietnam is worth
more than it is in Canada, further influencing the market.
It's important for those dealing with these kinds of financial terms to understand
that the term eurocurrency is something that emerged from informal use. Thinking
that this term has to do with the currency of the European Union will result in
misunderstandings about foreign deposits in domestic banks. It's also important to
think about the way that some countries protect their national economies by
limiting foreign deposits or foreign holdings.
In some countries, foreign currency has historically been an illegal asset for
citizens. Though globalism has largely changed the way most of the world's
nations view financial freedoms, some countries still have restrictions in place
about changing denominations of funds, or moving them from one nation to
another. Looking at how eurocurrency is used can give one insight into the kinds
of rules and regulations that affect international money transfers.
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History
The Eurocurrency Market has its roots in the World War II era. While the war was
going on, political challenges caused by the takeover of the continent by the Axis
Powers meant that there was a limited marketplace for trading in foreign currency.
With no friendly government operations within the European marketplace, the
traditional economies of the nations were displaced, along with the currencies. To
combat this, especially due to the fact that many American companies were tied
to the well-being of business behind enemy lines, banks across the world began to
deposit large sums of foreign currency, creating a new money market.
After World War II, the amount of US Dollars outside the United States increased
enormously, both as a result of the Marshall Plan and as a result of imports into
the USA. As a result, large sums of US Dollars were in custody of foreign
countries, including the Soviet Union, had deposits in US dollars in USA banks.
After the invasion of Hungary in 1956, the Soviet Union feared that its deposits in
American banks could be frozen as retaliation. A British bank offered the Soviets
the possibility of receiving its US Dollar reserves as deposits, outside the USA.
This operation was considered the first to create so called Eurodollars.
While opening up of the domestic markets began only around the end of seventies,
a truly international financial market had already been born in the mid-fifties and
gradually grown in size and scope during sixties and seventies.
Euro is now outdated since such deposits and loans are regularly traded outside
Europe.
Over the years, these markets have evolved a variety of instruments other than
time deposits and short-time loans, e.g. certificate of deposit (CDs), euro
commercial paper (ECP), medium-to long-term floating rate loans, Eurobonds,
floating rate notes and euro medium-term notes (EMTNs). The difference between
Euro markets and their domestic counterparts is one of regulation.
Eurobonds are free from rating and a disclosure requirement applicable to many
domestic issues as well as registration with securities exchange authorities.
The main factors behind the emergence and strong growth of the Eurodollar
markets were the regulations on borrowers and lenders imposed by the US
authorities who motivated both banks and borrowers to evolve Eurodollar
deposits and loans.
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Added to this are the considerations mentioned above, viz. the ability of Euro
banks to offer better rates both to the depositories and the borrowers and
convenience of dealing with a bank that is closer to home, which is familiar
with business culture and practices in Europe.
The origin of the Eurocurrency market is that the market in currency trading
outside their respective domestic economy. Several factors were behind their
birth:
1. The centrally planned economies were reluctant to hold bank deposits in the
United States, so they put their dollar earnings on deposit in London.
Gradually other European dollar holders did the same, a tendency that was
particularly marked when the United States ran large balance of payments
deficits.
General controls on the movement of capital also helped to boost the Eurocurrency
markets. In 1965, of the Voluntary Foreign Credit Restraint Program (VFCR) in
the United States. The specified goal of the VFCR was to limit the growth of
foreign lending by U.S. banks. Instead, their foreign branches which were not
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subject to the VFCR took deposits and onlent them outside the ceiling. Between
1964 and 1973 the number of U.S. banks with overseas branches increased from
181 to 699 over the same period
At the end of the 1960s and during the early 1970s the Eurocurrency markets,
which had been located in Western Europe (and centered in London), expanded to
a number of other offshore banking centers. These were typically small
territories that had tax, exchange control and banking laws favourable to
international banks. The business was entrepot in nature, with foreign currency
funds deposited by one foreign source and then onlent to another. Offshore centers
have been set up in the Caribbean area, Latin America, the Middle East and
establishment of international banking facilities (IBFs) in the United States
designed to bring the locus of American banking back onshore.
With the recent strong growth of domestic currency lending abroad, total
international lending is now the most meaningful lending aggregate and it
encompasses Eurocurrency market activity.
The foreign exchange market was formed back in 1971 when the gold standard as
removed and countries started using free floating currencies. At first only banks
and large investment actually traded on this exchange and the managers that did it
correctly ended up making millions and even billions of dollars from it.
Unfortunately the common man could not really play without an entrance into the
market from somebody higher up. That was until the internet came along and made
it so that anybody with a little bit of cash can start doing one foreign currency
trading and make really good money.
The laws of supply and demand are always at work. One thing that has been
playing on the news is the situation that Greece is finding itself in where they are
basically having the same problems that our system as having and banks from all
over the EU are trying to keep their economy afloat. This has caused the
weakening of the Euro (currency used in many European countries) while having
a strengthening effect on the dollar because people were afraid of losing in the
Euro. This is just an example that could go any which way.
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1. Types of transactions:
Transactions in each currency take place outside the country if its issue. For
example, dollars earned by a Japanese firm from exports may be deposited
with a bank in London. The London bank is free to use the funds for lending
to any other bank. The bank may use it for lending to French Bank. Thus
the utility of the currency is entirely outside the control of the central bank
of the country issuing the currency. For this reason, Eurcurrencies are also
referred to as offshore currencies.
market on large scale are Deutsche mark, Japanese Yen, Pound Sterling and
Swiss France.
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3. Deposits are primarily short term. Most of the deposits ae interbank, and
they tend to be very short term. This leads to concern about risk, since most
Eurocurrency loans are for longer period of time
4. The Eurocurrency market exists for savings and time deposits rather than
demand deposits. That is, institutions that create Eurodollar deposits do not
draw down those deposits into a particular national currency in order to buy
goods and services.
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The Eurocurrency markets are well funded, and thus are convenient sources
for funding a banks domestic and international loans.
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Russian banks in Paris and London started disguising their balances by placing
them in western European banks rather than in New York. So the communist
countries had dollar claim on the western European banks and western European
banks had similar claim on USA.
United Kingdom
British Government in 1957, decided not to grant sterling pound loans
outside sterling area.
During the same period, however, Western European banks were permitted
to foreign currency deposits (say bank in London will accept dollar deposit).
So the banks in London offered loans to their non-sterling area customers.
Eurocurrency Centers
1. Different time zones thrust different locations into the limelight during a typical
day.
2. Differing regulatory (e.g., disclosure or report filing) or tax (e.g., annual
registration fees) requirements may lead to development of new locations.
3. Locations that meet the infrastructure needs (e.g., communications network and
availability of skilled personnel) have always been a major drawing card for well-
established centers, such as London and New York.
In the Caribbean and Central American currency center, the Cayman Island is one
of the most attractive locations for setting up shell branches for US banks where
transactions are booked or routed to for a variety of reasons such as lenient
disclosure requirements and low or no profit taxes. It is not difficult for a large
multinational bank to open a branch in the Cayman Islands. The minimum capital
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requirement can be met by using the capital of the parent bank. Furthermore, there
are no reserve requirements for Eurocurrency operations.
Bahrain is the center of the Middle East market in terms of the foreign exchange
and Eurocurrency trading. Its close proximity to Saudi Arabia and Kuwait is
important for currency trading and lending activities in the region.
Tokyo, Singapore, and Hong Kong are three major Asian currency centers. The
Japanese government has been widely known to have a stronghold on its financial
markets. Because of intense pressure from the USA and other governments, the
Japanese government has gradually deregulated its financial markets. In late 1986,
the Japanese government set up the Japan Offshore Market (JOM) in Tokyo for
booking accounts exclusively for non-resident transactions (including transactions
of foreign subsidiaries of Japanese corporations).Transactions in JOM are exempt
from reserve requirements, withholding tax, and interest rate controls that apply
to domestic banking. The major beneficiaries of JOM are Japanese regional banks
that do not have overseas branches. Although Japan was attracting more attention
through the 1980s in the Asian currency market because of liberalization of the
Japanese financial market and the prominent position of the Japanese banks
globally, several recessions in the 1990s coupled with political indecision has at
least temporarily removed the bloom of the JOM. Two major reasons for the
existence of Singapore and Hong Kong are:
(a) the abundance of the US dollar circulating among Far Eastern residents
during the Vietnam War; and
(b) the differences in time zones vis--vis the USA and Europe that create
inconvenience for conducting business transactions dealing in the US
dollar.
Thus, the combination of the Asian dollar market, European centers, and the US
market provides 24-hour service to customers all over the world.
Singapore is now the headquarters for the Asian dollar market. The Singapore
government, in an attempt to compete with Hong Kong for leadership in the Asian
dollar market, eliminated its 40 percent withholding tax on interest income earned
by non-residents in 1968, and reduced its tax on bank profits on offshore loans in
1973. In addition, other taxes have also been reduced or eliminated while the
exchange control measures for promoting growth in the Asian dollar market have
been liberalized.
Since December 1981, the Federal Reserve System has permitted US banks and
branches of foreign banks in the USA to establish IBFs, which are exempt from
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reserve requirements, federal taxes, and deposit insurance. The intent of setting up
IBFs was to attract offshore banking business to the USA. Many shell bank
branches in places like the Cayman Islands or the Bahamas really amounted to
nothing more than a small office and a telephone for booking loans and deposits.
The location of IBFs reflects the location of banking activity in general. Thus it
is not surprising that over 75 percent of the IBF deposits are in New York State.
IBFs do not require physically separate banking entities, as they are just the
booking facilities located in the USA and sharing basic characteristics of
Eurobanks outside the country. IBFs can do business with only non-bank foreign
residents; thus IBF s cannot lend to or accept deposits from US residents.
Although borrowing from a US bank is allowed, it is subject to reserve
requirements. At the same time, IBFs are not allowed to issue negotiable
instruments such as CDs. Because of these restrictions, IBFs are not a perfect
substitute for offshore deposit facilities. Still, to make them more competitive with
offshore banking, the minimum deposit maturity is overnight for interbank IBFs
and two business days for nonbank foreign residents. The minimum size of
deposits is in excess of $100,000; hence they are not subject to deposit insurance.
Euro-Credit Markets
Tenure: Medium and Long Term Loans [upto 10-15 years 10% of loans, 5-8
years 85% of loans, 1-5 years 5% of loans] provided by group of banks.
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4. Interest Rate: Generally 1% above the reference rate rolled over every 6
months
Syndcation of Loan:
Managing banks, as desired by the borrower
Lead bank, generally who takes the largest share of lending
Agent bank, as required to take interest of the banks in syndication and
comply with the procedure
Common assessment of the borrower and his country
Common documentation
In very few cases co-financing with IMF and IBRD is possible.
Euro-Bonds
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Features of Euro-Bonds:
Most Euro-Bonds are Bearer securities
Most bonds are denominated in USD 10,000
Average maturity of the Euro-Bond is 5-6 years
In some cases maturity extends to 15 years
Types of Euro-Bonds:
Straight or fixed rate bonds
1. These are fixed interest bearing securities
2. Interest is normally payable yearly
3. Year is considered of 360 days
4. Maturities range from 3-25 years
5. Right of redemption before maturity may be there or may not be
there
6. If the right of redemption is there then redemption is done by
offering a premium
Convertible bonds
1. These are fixed interest bearing securities
2. Investor has an option to convert bonds into equity shares of
borrowing company
3. The conversion is done at the stipulated price and during the
stipulated period.
4. Conversion price is normally kept higher than the market price.
5. The rate of interest is lower than the rate of interest on comparable
straight bond.
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Euro-currency Deposits
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4. Issued on Discount to Yield basis, but interest rate works out lesser
than that is paid on bank borrowing nd higher than that is paid by the
bank on deposits
5. They are unsecured instrument
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More importantly and currently less obvious to German taxpayers, Greece will
likely default on 155 billion euros directly owed to the euro system (comprised of
the ECB and the 17 national central banks in the euro zone). This includes 110
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forward contract to cover (eliminate exposure to) exchange rate risk. Using
forward contracts enables arbitrageurs such as individual investors or banks to
make use of the forward premium (or discount) to earn a riskless profit from
discrepancies between two countries' interest rates. The opportunity to earn
riskless profits arises from the reality that the interest rate parity condition does
not constantly hold. When spot and forward exchange rate markets are not in a
state of equilibrium, investors will no longer be indifferent among the available
interest rates in two countries and will invest in whichever currency offers a higher
rate of return. Economists have discovered various factors which affect the
occurrence of deviations from covered interest rate parity and the fleeting nature
of covered interest arbitrage opportunities, such as differing characteristics of
assets, varying frequencies of time series data, and the transaction costs associated
with arbitrage trading strategies.
Effect of Arbitrage
If there were no impediments, such as transaction costs, to covered interest
arbitrage, then any opportunity, however minuscule, to profit from it would
immediately be exploited by many financial market participants, and the resulting
pressure on domestic and forward interest rates and the forward exchange rate
premium would cause one or more of these to change virtually instantaneously to
eliminate the opportunity. In fact, the anticipation of such arbitrage leading to such
market changes would cause these three variables to align to prevent any arbitrage
opportunities from even arising in the first place: incipient arbitrage can have the
same effect, but sooner, as actual arbitrage. Thus any evidence of empirical
deviations from covered interest parity would have to be explained on the grounds
of some friction in the financial markets.
Introduction of Libor
At the beginning of the 1980s, demand grew for an accurate measure of the real
rate at which banks would lend money to each other. An increasing number of
banks, especially in the London markets were actively trading new instruments
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such as Forward Rate Agreements. At the same time London was emerging as a
center for loan syndication. While many banks considered these new instruments
and arrangements as attractive, they were also inhibited by the nature of the
underlying rates that had to be agreed before a bank could enter into a
contract.This became increasingly important as London's status grew as an
international financial centerAs a result, in 1984 UK banks asked the British
Bankers Association (BBA) to develop a calculation that could be used as an
impartial basis for calculating interest on syndicated loans.
Today, BBA libor is the primary benchmark for short term interest rates globally.
It is used as a barometer to measure strain in money markets and often as a gauge
of the markets expectation of future central bank interest rates. Independent
research indicates that around $350 trillion of swaps and $10 trillion of loans are
indexed to BBA libor. It is also used for an increasing range of retail products,
such as mortgages and college loans.
The British Bankers Association
The British Bankers Association (BBA) was asked by the banks it represented to
bring in a measure of uniformity into the market and to produce a benchmark to
act as a reference for these new instruments. The idea was that rather than
negotiating the underlying rate or forming rates by taking averages of ad-hoc
panels, banks could now usea standard rate. This facilitated the markets and made
benchmarking more transparent and objective.This led to the first British Bankers
Association libor rates which were published in January 1986, initially in 3
currencies: US Dollars, Japanese Yen and Sterling.
The design of BBA libor has seen one significant change since its inception. In
1998 it was agreed to change the question from At what rate do you think interbank
term deposits will be offered by one prime bank to another prime bank for a
reasonable market size today at 11am? The new question, that is still used today
is At what rate could you borrow funds, were you to do so by asking for and then
accepting inter-bank offers in a reasonable market size just prior to 11 am?. This
was decided after considerable consultation with the markets as they no longer felt
that a universal definition of a prime bank could be given. It also has the advantage
of linking the figures submitted by banks to their own activity, rather than a
hypothetical entity.
DEFINITION of 'LIBOR Scandal'
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Libor Scandal
The Libor scandal was a series of fraudulent actions connected to the Libor
(London Interbank Offered Rate) and also the resulting investigation and reaction.
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Future of Libor
implying that Libor, in all currencies and tenors, will be phased out by the end of 2021.The
main concern of the FCA is that the unsecured lending market on which Libor is based is no
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longer sufficiently active. The FCA therefore believes that it needs to encourage market
participants to undertake the work required to move to alternative interest rate benchmarks.
Libor rates play a crucial role in determining the value of various assets, and changing these
benchmarks has the potential for significant economic impact if markets become disrupted.
In the short term the market reaction to the speech was muted. The basis between Libor and
the Sterling Overnight Index Average (Sonia) rates was observed to widen by approximately
2bp at the 30-year maturity very shortly after the speech.
There is much ongoing work in relation to the future of lending rates reviews of (and
changes to) overnight rates, as well as term rates, are occurring in most major markets (see
later in this piece for more details). This work includes consideration of potential Libor
replacements in certain markets. Within the UK there is currently a consultation under way on
the use of reformed Sonia as the Sterling Risk-Free Reference Rate, so additional
consideration needs to be given to how that index might evolve.2 It has been reported that the
administrator of Libor, the US Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), which has undertaken a series
of consultations to reform the Libor data, is committed to continuing to produce it beyond the
five-year period.
Libor is also commonly used as a benchmark rate for many short-term investment funds and
products. Following a series of scandals, the FCA started to regulate Libor and (effective 1
February 2014) the administration of Libor was changed to ICE Benchmark Administration to
provide a stronger governance framework. Despite this, a fall in the number of transactions in
the interbank market has led to concern amongst various global regulators and central banks
that the rate could become unreliable, potentially causing disruption to financial markets.
These concerns have led to working groups being established in all of the major countries
using Libor rates and also the speech by Andrew Bailey in which he appeared to be pushing
for Libor to be phased out by the end of 2021. It is far from certain that Libor will disappear
after this period, or how alternative markets will develop. One particular challenge of a switch
away from using Libor based derivatives at this time is the lack of liquidity for derivatives on
other interest rates in longer maturity tenors. Liquidity in derivatives markets for Sonia, for
example, is then largely focused in maturities out to 30 years, whereas Libor swaps remain the
more liquid instrument and trade out to 50-year maturities.
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This discussion is not only related to the UK market and below we summarise the responses
of other major countries:
US: In December 2014, the Federal Reserve established a group of representatives from major
banks and regulators which it called the ARRC. The ARRC has recommended that US dollar
Libor be replaced by a new benchmark rate calculated from transactions in the US Treasury
sale and repurchase agreement (repo) market. As such the new benchmark will be based on
secured borrowing and lending rates. This rate will be published by the Federal Reserve Bank
of New York and an announcement is expected later in 2017 to outline a timeframe over
which financial markets will be expected to move to this new methodology.
UK: In the UK, the BoE set up the Working Group on Sterling Risk-Free Reference Rates in
March 2015. In April 2017 the group selected a reformed version of Sonia, which was
originally established in 1997 and taken over by the BoE in 2016. Sonia is calculated based on
all overnight sterling transactions of 25m or more conducted in London by listed money
market institutions. The FCA has, after a consultation, announced that it has the agreement of
20 banks that they will submit rates to enable Libor calculations for at least the next five
years. During this period the FCA aims to work with market participants to transition away
from Libor and towards alternative rates in an orderly way. The FCA has stated that it does
not believe markets can rely on Libor continuing to be available indefinitely and that market
participants must take responsibility for their own transition plans.
Eurozone: The European Money Markets Institute chose to continue with current Euribor
methodology after a six-month review to establish whether it could switch to a transaction-
based calculation. The Institute is reportedly continuing to look at ways to evolve the rate and
is believed to be considering a hybrid method, combining transaction data with estimates. The
European Central Bank is also reported as considering providing an unsecured lending rate
based on overnight transactions.
Switzerland: The Swiss National Bank (SNB) set up a working group in 2013 and although
initially market participants expressed a reluctance to switch away from Libor, the group
moved to select two potential replacement candidates. The Swiss Average Rate Overnight
(Saron) rate has evolved as the leading candidate with the alternative Tois rate to be
discontinued by the end of 2017. The Swiss are now in the process of developing the swap
market based on the Saron rate. Following the speech by Andrew Bailey, the SNB has
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released a statement saying that the SNB will announce in a timely away an alternative to
[Swiss] franc Libor for its monetary policy concept
CONCLUSION
The creation and growth of the Eurocurrency market has been an important side
effect of the increase of international economic activity over the past few
decades. The market has expanded largely as a means of avoiding the regulatory
costs involved in dollar-denominated financial. Due to the size and importance of
the foreign exchange market, it remains largely unregulated. There is no
international organization to look over it or any institutions that sets rules. The
name Eurocurrency market is given to any bank deposits in any country held in a
different countrys currency. An example of this is United States dollar depositing
in a British bank. These banks are called Euro banks. The emergence of eurobanks
has facilitated trade and investment between countries. A Eurocurrency is any
currency that is deposited outside of the home country. Since approximately two
thirds of Eurocurrency is U.S. dollars, central banks and regulators are concerned
about Eurocurrency because they are stateless money. Eurocurrency market has
very little regulation, such as taxes, restrictions on capital movements and
exchange controls. Thus, the market attracts more investors. It is easier for banks
around the world to use the Eurocurrency market to move and store funds more
profitably than they could in many countries. Since the market is relatively free of
regulation, Eurodollar market must operate on narrower margins than banks in the
United States. The Eurocurrency market gives investors the opportunity to hold
short-term claims on commercial banks, which also act as intermediaries to
transform these deposits into long-term claims on final borrowers. Not only does
Eurocurrency market allow for more convenient borrowing, it also improves the
international flow of capital for trade between countries and companies. This
market also attracts domestic deposits because it offers a higher interest rate. The
largest Eurocurrency markets are located in London, New York, and Tokyo.
This report discussed various issues related to the Eurocurrency market.
Specifically, it explained development as well as the features of the Eurocurrency
market. The growth of the Eurocurrency results from government-induced
impediments and it requires sustenance from benign indifference on the part of
the government issuing the currency. Institutional setting of various geographic
centres was described to highlight the requisite ingredients for development of
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such centres. The traits of interest rates were discussed with respect to time (term
structure), space (other currencies), and impediments (domestic versus offshore).
Interrelationships among the three were brought out through arbitrage activities
facilitated by new tools based on conventional concepts of term structure and
interest parity theories. Finally, the role of the Eurocurrency market in the
development of new products was discussed with illustrations of NIFs, Euro-CP,
asset securitization, and Eurobonds. It was suggested that it is not the far-reaching
novelty of these products that is important, but what they symbolize: a change in
the bank attitude that marks a break with the past.
The main problem for the Euro crash was not sub-optimal currency areas nor
profligate government spending but fatal flaws in monetary design and an
appalling series of policy mistakes by the European Central Bank (ECB). The
inflation-targeting regime established by the ECB right at the start, coupled with
the reckless dismantling of the old Bundesbank's monetary framework,
contributed decisively to the ensuing gross failures. Further factors in the fatal
cocktail included long-term French monetary nationalism, empowered by a
French President at the head of the ECB, and the succumbing of euro officials to
the same deflation phobia which had gripped the Federal Reserve. There is only
one way which has any real prospect of salvaging European monetary integration
- that is to start again.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
BOOKS:
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