Currency Traders Bet on Trump Stirring Up Market Volatility

  • Hedge funds buy up options that pay out if FX swings increase
  • Traders expect policy divergence between US and Europe
Lock
This article is for subscribers only.

Currency traders are betting that Donald Trump’s policy agenda is about to jumpstart volatility in the $7.5 trillion-a-day foreign exchange market.

After years of benign moves, a gauge of one-year volatility on the euro-dollar exchange rate surged after the election. Hedge funds are scooping up options contracts that pay out if currency swings increase and strategists have dramatically revised their currency forecasts.