Hedge Against Currency Meltdowns

The recent meltdown of the euro, which was sparked by economic woes in Greece, alerted many business owners of the importance of developing solid foreign exchange strategies. You, too, can take advantage when fluctuations like this occur in the currency markets. For instance, with a weak euro, you can leverage everything from less expensive travel costs to Europe to importing goods at lower prices. However, if you sell products into Europe, the drop in the euro means that Europeans do not have as much buying power. You should tread lightly as you set your manufacturing and sales quotas.

Before entering international markets, you should address the political, social, and economic variables, along with solid foreign exchange strategies. You should look at the health and likely future of a particular currency and implement strategies to protect your positions. To help mitigate risk in the currency markets, you should implement a hedging strategy that includes any number of foreign exchange products, based on your risk appetite. By doing this, you can lower your risk of conducting business overseas and help increase your sales.

http://www.businessweek.com/smallbiz/tips/archives/2010/07/hedge_against_currency_meltdowns.html