Factors Determining the Exchange Rate Exposure of Firms: Evidence from India

Abstract

Exchange rate exposure is a strategic decision in finance and risk management at both the micro and macro level of business operations. Literature on the measurement, and management of this risk, has had no consensus on the factors affecting it as these factors seem to be dynamic. In an effort to consider a comprehensive study at the firm level, this article examines the exchange rate exposure of 271 constituent firms from the BSE S&P 500 index. The study period was 2001 to 2020 divided into sub-periods around the financial crises of 2008. The study uses two contemporary approaches (the capital market approach and the cash flow approach) and five relevant exchange rates (USD, EURO, GBP, JPY, and REER) to measure the foreign exchange. The sample firms were divided into 10 industrial sectors to identify the factors that lead to exposure of firms to exchange rate volatility. We use multinomial logistic regression to regress the select factors with the measured value of exchange rate exposure. The findings of the article suggest that multinationality, fixed asset utilization ratio, hedging activities, industrial sectors, size, and age of the firms are the significant determinants of such exposure. The results varied during the sub-periods and across industries.