The Impact of Exchange Rate Fluctuation on Toyota Financial Performance and Its Hedging Strategy

Abstract

In today's globalised economy, the majority of businesses operate in many nations, utilising foreign exchange for imports and exports to expose them to foreign exchange risk. Every business is more or less affected by foreign exchange risk, which is made up of transaction risk, translation risk, and economic risk. By analyzing Toyota's financial reports and comparing financial data of multiple fiscal years (2018 is the base year), including Toyota's derivatives trading volume, foreign exchange income, exchange rate fluctuations of Japanese yen relative to other major currencies, and the average transaction price of currency trading, this study studied the role of financial derivatives in Toyota's foreign exchange risk management. The research results show that Toyota's derivatives transactions in 2018, including forward foreign exchange future contracts and foreign exchange options, strongly offset the foreign exchange risk caused by the appreciation of the yen against the US dollar and the euro. In addition to the derivatives transactions, Toyota also used other risk management policies to reduce its foreign exchange risk. Although the use of financial derivatives can hedge risks, but it will also bring losses to the enterprise. In today's volatile global business environment, each enterprise must choose the appropriate risk management tools for it.