Abstract Financial firms are carrying more risks than non-financial firms as they are operating with highly liquid assets. Use of derivatives is one of hedging techniques used in protecting firms from such kind of risks. There has been considerable discussion in academia of whether or not derivative usage can be considered to be value relevant. This is a question, which relate to both risk management and value maximization perspectives in terms of theory, but also discussions in regards to hedging irrelevance (M&M) and arbitrage theory as well: Does the use of derivatives affect listed Nordic financial firms’ market value, if so how? Thereby, the main purpose of this thesis is to find out whether or not there a relationship between derivative use and firm value, which would be evidenced from sample taken from listed Nordic financial firms. In addition to this main purpose, this thesis furthermore sets out to answer whether geographical diversification and firm size contribute toward the effect of derivative use on firm value. Moreover, to answer the research question, a positivist philosophical standpoint with objectivist viewpoint taken, which subsequently leads the author to utilize quantitative methods and statistical analysis to the data collected for this study. Here, different panel models are fitted to the data to account effects that exist within it. To explain the findings, a theoretical framework is built upon two main theories and prior literatures. Here, on the theories such as M&M theory as well as arbitrage theory are dealt with. On the prior literatures, different scholars finding on the derivative use and firm value relationship discussed.   After looking at the results and the analysis, one can draw the conclusion that there is a positive relationship between derivative usage and firm value. The analysis this thesis took the entire 96 Nordic financial firms sample for study period of four years (2012-“015), and from this sample size 80% found derivative users and the rest are non-users. Further, the study result and analysis lead the author to conclude that derivative usage has a positive impact on Nordic financial firms’ value.   Overall, this thesis can find evidence for a value-relevance of derivative usage to firm value in the Nordic markets. Essentially, Tobin’s Q ratio used as a proxy for firm value and panel data model has been used in the analysis. The test result of the study shows that there is a positive statistically and economically significant derivative use premium for Nordic financial firms. Keywords: Risk management; Hedging; Derivatives; Derivatives use; Firm value

This diploma thesis deals with hedging with financial derivatives in international business. It is divided into two main parts. The first - theoretical part describes the general definition of the term "derivative" as well as brief history of derivatives. The next part determines derivatives from three key aspects - economic, legal and accounting. The following part deals with statistical methods and the current situation on the derivative markets. The following chapter analyzes the main types of derivatives - forwards, futures, swaps and options as well as examples of their usage. The second part of this work examines the hedging process within the company Med Povrly. Due to its involvement in the international trade with copper, the company is exposed to commodity and exchange-rate risks.

Master's Thesis deals with currency risk influence on particular bussiness company. The target is based on suggestion of particular measures for risk hedging. Information is gained directly from accounting and from the author's knowledge about the company. Influence of risk is studied primarily separately in relation with gross frofit a nd then in relation with net profit of the firm. Suggestions for currency risk hedging come from the requirements of shareholders, who expect the maximal elimination of the currency risks. For currency risk management were proposed two variants: currency swap and Bull Spread option strategy, which were then theoreticaly rated.

This thesis describes hedging transactions against foreign exchange rate risk which is a significant problem for a number of domestic companies trading with foreign partners. The objective of this paper is to characterize possible ways to eliminate or minimize a foreign exchange rate risk and to assess effects on economic results and liquidity of the company arising from the use of hedging instruments compared to the situation without hedging transactions. The practical analysis is shown on two Czech companies exposed to a foreign exchange rate risk. The analysis is focused on currency forwards negotiated with the bank and natural hedging in connection with an application of a hedge accounting.

台灣對國際貿易市場依賴程度極高，總體經濟環境極易受到國際經濟變數的影響，其中尤以匯率的變動，係我國進出口貿易最直接並重要的影響因素之一。為了生產及銷售競爭之需要，我國企業積極對海外投資並設立海外子公司或據點以進行國際分工，企業的國際化更加重所面臨匯率波動所產生的外匯暴露。 本研究基於我國企業面對的外匯暴露程度，探討影響我國企業外匯暴露及操作衍生性金融商品規避外匯暴露的公司治理因素，並針對外匯避險是否具有盈餘資訊內涵進行研討，具體而言，本研究將探討下列問題： 一、操作衍生性金融商品規避外匯暴露與外匯暴露程度的關聯性； 二、公司治理對操作衍生性金融商品規避外匯暴露的影響程度； 三、操作衍生性金融商品規避外匯暴露是否具有資訊內涵。 本研究的結果發現，操作衍生性金融商品係有助於規避外匯風險；而公司治理中的董事能力及董事會的獨立性則對我國企業在是否選擇操作衍生性金融商品避險時，有重大影響力。基於外匯暴露是我國企業普遍面臨的風險，上述結果應有助於我國企業在面對外匯風險時，決定是否採用衍生性金融商品規避外匯風險上，有一定的助益。本研究並發現企業操作衍生性金融商品避險是具有盈餘資訊內涵的，此對文獻中較少針對企業面對風險的避險決策是否對股票報酬有所影響的議題，可作為該領域研究方向及結果的補強。 / Due to an extremely high level of dependence on international trade, the macroeconomic environment in Taiwan is affected by international economic variables deeply. Particularly, the change of foreign exchange rates is one of the most direct and significant factors for the international trade of Taiwan. Further, the internationalization of local enterprises by actively expanding their investment internationally and setting up overseas subsidiaries makes these enterprises suffer more from the exposure of foreign exchange rate fluctuations. This study therefore investigates the following issues: 1. The association between hedging foreign exchange rate fluctuation by derivatives and the foreign exchange rate exposure. 2. The impact of corporate governance on the hedging decisions of the management. 3. Is there any information content of the hedging against foreign exchange rate exposure? The results of this study show that: (1) The hedging against foreign exchange rate fluctuation by derivatives decreases the foreign exchange rate exposure; (2) Two of corporate governance factors namely finance expertise and independence of the board of directors have significant effects on the hedging decisions; and (3) Hedging against the foreign exchange rate fluctuation by derivatives provides information content of earnings. This study contributes to the practice and the academics in the following ways: (1) As an aid for the management to decide whether to hedge against foreign exchange rate fluctuation by derivatives when facing foreign exchange rate exposure; (2) As an extension of the literature on the association between hedging decisions and the stock returns.

In dieser Arbeit untersuchen wir mathematische Modelle für Finanzmärkte mit einem großen Händler, dessen Handelsaktivitäten transienten Einfluss auf die Preise der Anlagen haben. Zuerst beschäftigen wir uns mit der Frage, wie die Handelserlöse des großen Händlers definiert werden sollen. Wir identifizieren die Erlöse zunächst für absolutstetige Strategien als nichtlineares Integral, in welchem sowohl der Integrand als der Integrator von der Strategie abhängen. Unserere Hauptbeiträge sind hier die Identifizierung der Skorokhod M1 Topologie als geeigneter Topologue auf dem Raum aller Strategien sowie die stetige Erweiterung der Definition für die Handelserlöse von absolutstetigen auf cadlag Kontrollstrategien. Weiter lösen wir ein Liquidierungsproblem in einem multiplikativen Modell mit Preiseinfluss, in dem die Liquidität stochastisch ist. Die optimale Strategie wird beschrieben durch die Lokalzeit für Reflektion einer Diffusion an einer nicht-konstanten Grenze. Um die HJB-Variationsungleichung zu lösen und Optimalität zu beweisen, wenden wir probabilistische Argumente und Methoden aus der Variationsrechnung an, darunter Laplace-Transformierte von Lokalzeiten für Reflektion an elastischen Grenzen. In der zweiten Hälfte der Arbeit untersuchen wir die Absicherung (Hedging) für Optionen. Der minimale Superhedging-Preis ist die Viskositätslösung einer semi-linearen partiellen Differenzialgleichung, deren Nichtlinearität von dem transienten Preiseinfluss abhängt. Schließlich erweitern wir unsere Analyse auf Hedging-Probleme in Märkten mit mehreren riskanten Anlagen. Stabilitätsargumente führen zu strukturellen Bedingungen, welche für ein arbitragefreies Modell mit wechselseitigem Preis-Impakt gelten müssen. Zudem ermöglichen es jene Bedingungen, die Erlöse für allgemeine Strategien unendlicher Variation in stetiger Weise zu definieren. Als Anwendung lösen wir das Superhedging-Problem in einem additiven Preis-Impakt-Modell mit mehreren Anlagen. / In this thesis we study mathematical models of financial markets with a large trader (price impact models) whose actions have transient impact on the risky asset prices. At first, we study the question of how to define the large trader's proceeds from trading. To extend the proceeds functional to general controls, we ask for stability in the following sense: nearby trading activities should lead to nearby proceeds. Our main contribution in this part is to identify a suitable topology on the space of controls, namely the Skorokhod M1 topology, and to obtain the continuous extension of the proceeds functional for general cadlag controls. Secondly, we solve the optimal liquidation problem in a multiplicative price impact model where liquidity is stochastic. The optimal control is obtained as the reflection local time of a diffusion process reflected at a non-constant free boundary. To solve the HJB variational inequality and prove optimality, we need a combination of probabilistic arguments and calculus of variations methods, involving Laplace transforms of inverse local times for diffusions reflected at elastic boundaries. In the second half of the thesis we study the hedging problem for a large trader. We solve the problem of superhedging for European contingent claims in a multiplicative impact model using techniques from the theory of stochastic target problems. The minimal superhedging price is identified as the unique viscosity solution of a semi-linear pde, whose nonlinearity is governed by the transient nature of price impact. Finally, we extend our consideration to multi-asset models. Requiring stability leads to strong structural conditions that arbitrage-free models with cross-impact should satisfy. These conditions turn out to be crucial for identifying the proceeds functional for a general class of strategies. As an application, the problem of superhedging with cross-impact in additive price impact models is solved.