F31 - Foreign ExchangeReturn

It is generally acknowledged that one of the risks faced by any company is FX risk, especially when the business operates internationally. For individual companies, exposure to FX risk results in different financial implications, stressing such parameters as the industry affiliation and the company’s size with respect to the level of FX risk exposure. In this paper we analyse how FX exposure of companies of different size and operating in industrial and service sectors affects their stock market returns. Using the panel regression with macroeconomic and companies’ specific factors for 208 European companies analysed over the period 2012–2018, we show that the link between changes in the exchange rate and the stock return is statistically significant and that medium-size companies as well as firms operating in the service sector of economy are more exposed to this impact.

This paper empirically investigates the impact of change in exchange rate on export and import flows between Slovakia and its major trading partners. Devaluation or depreciation of a currency worsens the trade balance before improving it, resulting in a J-curve pattern. For the purpose of this paper, aggregated and disaggregated approaches are used. This paper investigates J-curve phenomenon using quarterly time series data over the period 1997:1 to 2013:4. The results provide evidence that the classical J-curve effect does not exist in Slovakia on the aggregated level. Instead, currency depreciation (increase in real effective exchange rate) is accompanied only by positive change in trade balance with no deterioration under initial value. On the bilateral level, there exists J- curve in trade with Hungary.

This paper analyses the foreign exchange rate exposure of Hungarian firms and its determinants on the basis of corporate cash flows and stock prices. The analysis focuses on the HUF/EUR exchange rate using monthly data from 2000 - 2014, resp. 2003 - 2012 in case of cash flow analysis. Stock prices exposure analysis showed that significant number of these firms is exposed: 18.4 % of publicly listed companies were significantly exposed in period 2007 - 2014 which is significantly higher than in previous period. According to the cash flow analysis results, 34 % of firms are exposed, whilst 45.3 % of small firms are significantly exposed. The measuring of exchange rate risk and hedging is therefore crucial for reduction of the firms' uncertainty. Cross-sectional analysis suggests that the turnover and foreign sales are also important determinants of firms' exchange rate exposure.