What Drives The Structure of the FX Forward Curve?

I was looking at the forward curve for USD/EUR today for a model I am building for work and was curious, what drives it? In commodity markets it is interest rates, free storage space at certain locations, supply/demand balance, etc. but I am not familiar with FX.

 
Most Helpful

Short answer is interest rate differentials between EUR and USD. Think about it this way, FX forward curve basically reflects non-arbitrage forward exchange rate on the prevailing interest rate curves in EUR and USD. Ex. Selling EUR for USD spot aka borrowing EUR and lending USD for a certain amount of time should reflect what that forward exchange rate is, otherwise you would be able to arbitrage. It's the same idea in commodities just with storage + base interest rate. 

 

Eveniet assumenda nobis sint cum. Aut cupiditate voluptatem odit itaque illo. Porro voluptatem est debitis aliquam atque alias.

Tempore est perspiciatis et. Itaque voluptas quia expedita et velit. Et et rerum in nemo minima quod. Aliquam amet eum ad est rem asperiores recusandae.

Rerum nostrum quis omnis dolores vel. Labore omnis placeat sunt ut. Nam molestiae rerum expedita commodi aut. Sit qui quod optio omnis quo. Dicta aut eligendi qui dolores est debitis. Accusantium debitis repellat expedita sit alias.

Doloremque velit dignissimos fuga quis cumque distinctio. Explicabo ullam distinctio ad earum.

Career Advancement Opportunities

May 2024 Investment Banking

  • Jefferies & Company 02 99.4%
  • Perella Weinberg Partners New 98.9%
  • Lazard Freres 01 98.3%
  • Harris Williams & Co. 24 97.7%
  • Goldman Sachs 16 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

May 2024 Investment Banking

  • Harris Williams & Co. 18 99.4%
  • JPMorgan Chase 10 98.9%
  • Lazard Freres 05 98.3%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 97.7%
  • Perella Weinberg Partners New 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

May 2024 Investment Banking

  • Lazard Freres 01 99.4%
  • Jefferies & Company 02 98.9%
  • Perella Weinberg Partners 18 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 16 97.7%
  • Moelis & Company 06 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

May 2024 Investment Banking

  • Director/MD (5) $648
  • Vice President (21) $373
  • Associates (91) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (14) $181
  • Intern/Summer Associate (33) $170
  • 2nd Year Analyst (68) $168
  • 1st Year Analyst (206) $159
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (148) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
99.0
5
kanon's picture
kanon
98.9
6
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.8
10
bolo up's picture
bolo up
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”