Carry trade

It is a type of trading in which a trader sells a certain currency with a low interest rate and then uses it to purchase another currency that yields higher interest. The main goal of a carry trader is to capture the existing divergence in interest rates and earn substantial profits with help of leverage.

Assume you notice that interest rates in South Africa are 7%, while the current interest rates in the US are 1%. So, you expect to earn 6% difference between the two rates. For this to happen, you should borrow USD (the low-yielding currency, the issuer of which set a relatively low interest rate), and buy a higher-yielding currency, in our example it is South African Rand. You may increase the amounts of money you earned using leverage. For example, if you use a standard 10:1 leverage ratio you can earn a profit of 60%. But there is a big risk behind this – the unpredictability of exchange rates. If the ZAR was to drop against the USD, you would lose a great part of your return. Find out what is the carry trading strategy?

So, although carry trades look very attractive, they are quite risky especially in troublesome, uncertain times when investors tend to rush into low-yielding safe-havens neglecting risky financial assets, which offer higher returns.

Profits earned through the carry trade may not be a primary goal of the trader, they could be a good addition to the gains he/she earns on price fluctuations. 

Example of a trader

Julian Robertson

Julian Robertson is one of the most famous carry traders the history knows. He used to trade USD/JPY. In the period between 1995 and 1998, this currency pair appreciated more than 66%, in part thanks to carry traders buying high-yielding currencies and selling the yen. The trader could make 15% profits on the interest rate differentials adding to 66% he gained on the surge in USD/JPY. Julian Robertson was trading USD/JPY with leverage and earned lots of money in that period, although after the 1998 sudden appreciation of the yen, he lost $2 billion.

Frequently asked questions

  • How to open an FBS account?

    Click the ‘Open account’ button on our website and proceed to the Personal Area. Before you can start trading, pass a profile verification. Confirm your email and phone number, get your ID verified. This procedure guarantees the safety of your funds and identity. Once you are done with all the checks, go to the preferred trading platform, and start trading. 

  • How to start trading?

    If you are 18+ years old, you can join FBS and begin your FX journey. To trade, you need a brokerage account and sufficient knowledge on how assets behave in the financial markets. Start with studying the basics with our free educational materials and creating an FBS account. You may want to test the environment with virtual money with a Demo account. Once you are ready, enter the real market and trade to succeed.

  • How to withdraw the money you earned with FBS?

    The procedure is very straightforward. Go to the Withdrawal page on the website or the Finances section of the FBS Personal Area and access Withdrawal. You can get the earned money via the same payment system that you used for depositing. In case you funded the account via various methods, withdraw your profit via the same methods in the ratio according to the deposited sums.

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