Covered interest rate parity (CIRP)

PrepNuggets

LEVEL II

Covered Interest Rate Parity (CIRP) is a principle that states that the difference between two countries’ interest rates should equal the forward exchange rate premium or discount, which adjusts for the expected difference in exchange rates between the present and the time when the money is returned. Essentially, CIRP states that if an investor borrows in a low-interest rate country and lends in a high-interest rate country, they should be compensated by the expected change in the exchange rate so that the after-tax return is equal in both countries. The “covered” part of the name refers to the fact that the investor uses forward contracts to hedge against exchange rate risk, hence “covering” their exposure to exchange rate risk. CIRP is bound by arbitrage.

See also: International parity conditions, Uncovered interest rate parity, Forward rate parity, Purchasing power parity, International Fisher effect

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