The recent wave of revaluations has again brought to the fore the foreign exchange risks with which most multinational corporations have to live constantly. While these latest parity changes have tended to increase the value of foreign currencies relative to the dollar, most exchange risks arise from pending devaluations.

This paper demonstrates the strong linkages that exist between currency risk, represented by inflation risk and exchange rate changes, and relative price risk. These linkages affect the optional quantities of forward exchange contracts, nominal debt, and fixed price sales (purchase) contracts to use in hedging against these risks. It is shown that the existence of as many hedging mechanisms as there are forms of price risk allows for the precise targeting of specific price risks with specific hedging instruments. Moreover, even though each hedging mechanism specializes in protecting against a particular form of price risk, the optimal quantitiy of each influences and is influenced by the optimal quantities of the others.

This paper differentiates between country risk--the probability that a country will default on its obiigations--and two forms of international banking risk: (1) the extent to which a bank's foreign activities affect the cost of equity capital; and (2) the extent to which a bank's foreign activities affect the probability of bankruptcy. The paper focuses on the latter form of international banking risk.Using Chebyshev's Inequality, it is pointed out that the risk of bankruptcy is influenced by the mean as well as the variance of the return distribution. Consequently, restrictions on the (international) composition of a bank's portfolio may increase rather than reduce the probability of bankruptcy.

As the multinational corporation (MNC) becomes the norm rather than the exception, the need to internationalize the tools of domestic financial analysis is apparent. A key question is: What cost-of-capital figure should be used in appraising the profitability of foreign investments? This paper seeks to provide a comprehensive approach to analyze the cost-of-capital question. It begins by extending the weighted cost-of-capital concept to the multinational firm. It then builds on previous research to address the following related topics: national or multinational financial structure norms; the role of parent company guarantees; the costing of various fund sources particularly when exchange risk is present; the impact of tax and regulatory factors; risk and diversification; and joint ventures.

The rising cost of funds internationally is forcing multinational corporations to pay more attention to effective cash management on a global basis. However, the available literature is preoccupied with cash management in only one currency. This is a serious oversight given the heavy involvement of U.S. firms overseas. In 1970, for example, the ratio of foreign source earnings plus income from abroad (royalties, fees, service charges) to total U.S. corporate after-tax profits was over 25 percent [14]. If export and import activities were included, this statistic would be more impressive yet.

This paper focuses on the conditions under which banks are subject to currency and country risks on their dollar-denominated loans to foreign firms and governments. We conclude that currency risk is a function of the rates of domestic and foreign inflation, deviations from purchasing power parity, and the effect of these deviations on the firm's and the nation's dollar-equivalent cash flows. Country risk is largely determined by the variability of the nation's terms of trade and the government's willingness to allow the national economy to adjust rapidly to changing economic fortunes.

This paper focuses on the conditions under which banks are subject to currency and country risks on their dollar‐denominated loans to foreign firms and governments. We conclude that currency risk is a function of the rates of domestic and foreign inflation, deviations from purchasing power parity, and the effect of these deviations on the firm's and the nation's dollar‐equivalent cash flows. Country risk is largely determined by the variability of the nation's terms of trade and the government's willingness to allow the national economy to adjust rapidly to changing economic fortunes.