Covered Interest Rate Parity

This term refers to a condition where the relationship between interest rates and the spot and forward currency values of two countries are in equilibrium. As a result, there are no interest rate arbitrage opportunities between those two currencies. 



|||As an example, assume Country X's currency is trading at par with Country Z's currency, but the interest rate in Country X is 6% and the interest rate in country Z is 3%. All other things being equal, it would make good sense to borrow in the currency of Z, convert it in the spot market to currency X and invest the proceeds in Country X. However, in order to repay the loan in currency Z, one must enter into a forward contract to exchange the currency back from X to Z. Covered interest rate parity exists when the forward rate of converting X to Z eradicates all the profit from the transaction.