Fixed Income and Currency Strategist

Gautam Jain, PhD, CFA

Gautam Jain has over 25 years of experience covering global emerging fixed income and currency markets, both as a strategist and a portfolio manager. He has worked in buy-side and sell-side firms, including The Rohatyn Group (TRG Management), Barclays Capital, and Millennium Partners. He has helped manage emerging markets local-currency and hard-currency debt funds. The assets that he covers include currencies, interest rates, sovereign credits, and related derivatives. He specializes in portfolio construction, smart-beta index creation, and asset allocation. Mr. Jain holds a Ph.D. in Operations Research from Columbia University and is a CFA charter holder.

Drivers Behind the Turnaround of Asian Currencies

Alpha Bites: Long Israeli Shekel (ILS) Vs Short British Pound (GBP)

Is Carry Driving the Returns of EM Currencies?

Implications of Higher Dollar Volatility for EM Currencies

FX Dashboard: Time to Hedge EM FX with Euro Again

How Effective Has the Euro Hedge Been for EM FX?

Battle Lines Drawn As BABA Builds Out First/Last-Mile Capacity; But Who Will Fund 75+ Bn CNY CapEx?

FX & Rates

<ul>
<li>The US dollar has started appreciating again on the back of a safe-haven bid with risk aversion rising due to the Fed's upcoming rate-hiking cycle and the Russia-Ukraine tensions.</li>
<li>Given my expectation of rising dollar volatility, I had recommended hedging a diversified EMFX portfolio with the euro. Indeed, the euro hedge has worked well over the past three months.</li>
<li>I continue to prescribe maintaining the euro hedge. If the dollar remains volatile, I don't expect the low volatility of EM currencies – dragged lower by Asia – to persist. </li>
</ul>


The US dollar has started appreciating again on the back of a safe-haven bid with risk aversion rising due to the Fed's upcoming rate-hiking cycle and the Russia-Ukraine tensions.
Given my expectation of rising dollar volatility, I had recommended hedging a diversified EMFX portfolio with the euro. Indeed, the euro hedge has worked well over the past three months.
I continue to prescribe maintaining the euro hedge. If the dollar remains volatile, I don't expect the low volatility of EM currencies – dragged lower by Asia – to persist. 


Value of Euro as a Hedge for EM Currencies in Times Like These