The New Neutral: the Long-Term Case for Currency Hedging

Robert Bush Thought Leadership Xpert Insights 12/17 The New Neutral—The long-term case for currency hedging It’s fair to say that currency-hedged approaches to The Long Term Case for Currency Hedging) and international investing have really come to the fore consider the more strategic reasons for hedging, and, over the last few years, with $14.8 billion of AUM in in particular, the potential risk reduction it offers. hedged ETFs at the beginning of 2014, compared with “$41bn of AUM as of the end of November Take a look at Figure 1, which reflects the difference 2017” (Source: Morningstar). Without asking every in volatility for the MSCI EAFE, a key benchmark single investor’s motivation, it’s impossible to say for international developed equity markets, on a exactly what the driving force behind this interest hedged (without currency) and an un-hedged (with has been, but we suspect the strong performance currency) basis. A positive number represents more of the dollar, particularly against the euro and the risk in the basket that includes currency. What was yen, where quantitative easing has weakened those surprising, to us at least, was that over this time currencies, has really shone a spotlight on the role period leaving currency in resulted in volatility on currencies can play in an international investment. average 2.7 percentage points higher 90% of the time. It really begs the question—why? What is it Instead of focusing on the tactical, return-oriented about currency—and, by the way, it’s not, in our aspects of the hedging decision, let’s focus on some view, additional return—that meant investors lost key findings from research we’ve recently undertaken out by retaining their exposure? (see our latest White Paper The New Neutral: Figure 1: The difference in volatility between MSCI EAFE hedged and un-hedged (2/1978–2/2017) 8.00 6.00 4.00 2.00 0.00 –2.00 1978 1980 1982 1984 1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2017 Source: Morningstar Direct, 3/31/1973–11/30/17. Past performance does not guarantee future results. The Framework Currency Volatility In an uncertain world, we find it helpful to impose Figure 3 shows the same time period as above a framework to evaluate the hedging decision and for the euro, but this time focuses on its standard the return/risk question in a systematic manner. deviation, or volatility. Note how stable it is over This framework involves thinking in terms of two– time. There is, as one might expect, a spike up unimaginatively named–portfolios. Portfolio A during the financial crisis, but ultimately would represents an international equity without you take issue with us saying that 10% is a decent currency (hedged) and Portfolio B is the traditional ballpark number for the long run volatility of this international equity investment with currency risk currency? We think it’s reasonable. (so un-hedged). Now we are in a place to establish some return and risk parameters and ultimately a reward-to-risk ratio (return divided by risk, a similar Currency Correlation metric to the Sharpe ratio) to identify the portfolio offering the greater return per unit of risk. Correlation Our next chart (Figure 4) shows the rolling one year and cost of hedging the international currency are correlations between the euro and the German also taken into consideration for the hedged portfolio stock market (specifically, MSCI Germany). Note to evaluate both in the appropriate context. that, although the average over the long run is effectively zero (as one can eyeball from the chart, and our statistical analysis showed) the correlation Currency Return has been quite volatile. It’s difficult to say with any real degree of conviction that an investor can either Consider Figure 2 which shows the rolling one year say what the “true” correlation is at a particular return of the euro over the last 16 years. Note that point in time, or that it’s likely to stay there. at times it has offered positive and negative returns, roughly in a plus or minus 20% band, but that, over the long run, the returns have tended to be centered Hedging Costs around zero. When running the same analysis for all 33 currencies in the MSCI All Country World Index, Our final chart (Figure 5) shows the cost to hedge it was surprising how consistent this result was. the euro over the last twelve years. Here we’d simply As expected, some are more (or less) volatile, but note that sometimes you’ve had to pay, and other in the long run, we ultimately believe the currency times you’ve been paid to hedge, as you are at the return expectation is zero. (Again, we are talking moment, but that the range is quite tight, fluctuating about the strategic case here and fully understand, in roughly a plus or minus 2% band. Since the and agree, that short term tactical conviction in a financial crisis, one month interest rate differentials, currency move is still very important). which are what drives this cost, have converged Figure 2: Rolling one year returns for the euro Figure 3: Rolling one year volatility for the euro (1/1/2001–11/30/2017) (1/1/2001–11/30/2017) Rolling one year return (%) Rolling one year volatility (%) 30 20 20 15 10 0 10 –10 5 –20 –30 0 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 200 200 200 200 200 200 200 200 200 201 201 201 201 201 201 201 201 200 200 200 200 200 200 200 200 200 201 201 201 201 201 201 201 201 Source: Bloomberg, (as of December 18, 2017) Source: Bloomberg, (as of December 18, 2017) Past performance does not guarantee future results. Past performance does not guarantee future results. The New Neutral—The long-term case for currency hedging 2 somewhat given the very low nominal rates we What happens when you add an uncorrelated, currently have in the U.S. and in Europe, and it’s this 0% return asset with a 10% volatility to this portfolio that has driven that narrowing of the band. We think in order to get Portfolio B (the unhedged portfolio)? that 0% is a reasonable number to use in the long The return number, of course, remains unchanged run, at least for developed market currencies. (you are adding a 0% return asset) but the volatility goes from 16% to 18.9%. In other words, adding the currency does nothing for your return, but Conclusion does increase your risk. The reward to risk ratio decreases to 0.42 (8% divided by 18.9%). Under Returning to our original framework of the hedged these assumptions it would be better to hedge. vs. unhedged hypothetical portfolios, we can now plug in some assumptions to see how the reward Using this approach enables an investor to change to risk ratios look for our two portfolios. First, let’s all their assumptions, and therefore to gauge the assume an 8% return and a 16% volatility for the sensitivity of the hedging decision to the various international equity market. Though we didn’t go inputs. Our conclusion was that correlations in the into those numbers empirically above, those are order of –0.3, or lower, or volatilities of 2%–3%, reasonable numbers that would combine to give need to exist for a currency if one is to be even just a reward to risk ratio for Portfolio A (the hedged indifferent to retaining it within a portfolio. And as portfolio) of 0.50 (8% divided by 16%). our research illustrates, those levels just have not been seen historically on a consistent basis. Figure 4: Rolling one year correlation between the Figure 5: Historical cost of carry to hedge the euro euro and MSCI Germany (1/1/2001–11/30/2017) (12/2005–11/2017) Rolling one year correlation Historical cost of carry to hedge the euro (%) 0.8 3 0.6 2 0.4 0.2 1 0.0 0 –0.2 –1 –0.4 –0.6 –2 –0.8 –3 7 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 200 200 200 200 200 201 201 201 201 201 201 201 201 200 200 200 200 200 200 200 200 200 201 201 201 201 201 201 201 201 Source: Bloomberg, (as of December 18, 2017) Source: Bloomberg, (as of December 18, 2017) Past performance does not guarantee future results. Past performance does not guarantee future results. The New Neutral—The long-term case for currency hedging 3 Appendix Figure 1: DM equity and currency returns Average monthly equity return T-statistic Average monthly currency return T-statistic 4 4.0 3 3.6 3.5 3.3 2 2.7 2.4 1 1.4 1.3 0.6 0.5 0.5 0.4 1.0 1.0 0.9 0.9 0.2 0.2 0.8 0.8 0.8 0.8 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0 0.0 Germany United Kingdom Canada Japan Switzerland Australia MSCI EAFE Index Figure 2: EM equity and currency returns Average monthly return T-statistic Average monthly return T-statistic 6 4 3.9 2 3.8 1.4 1.3 1.3 3.0 1.3 3.0 1.2 2.8 2.8 1.0 0.7 0.7 0.6 0.2 0.1 0.0 0 1.6 –2 –0.1 –0.1 –0.1 –0.2 –0.2 –0.3 –0.3 –0.3 –4 –1.5 South Korea Taiwan South Africa Brazil India Mexico MSCI EM Index Figure 3: DM currency and equity volatility Standard deviation of equity Standard deviation of currency 25 20 15 21.0 10 19.4 16.1 15.8 15.1 14.9 14.6 5 11.5 9.7 11.3 11.2 10.6 8.3 0 7.6 Germany United Kingdom Canada Japan Switzerland Australia MSCI EAFE Index Developed markets source: MSCI, Bloomberg, Morningstar Direct.

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