Rollover / Swap (FX)

Rollover / Swap

In the spot Forex market trades settle in two business days. If a trader sells 10,000 euros on Tuesday, the seller must deliver 10,000 euros on Thursday unless the position is held open and rolled over to the next value date. All open positions are automatically rolled over to the next settlement date at 5:00 PM Eastern Standard Time. Roll over involves exchanging the expiring position for a position expiring the following settlement date. The positions being exchanged are not valued at the same price. If a trader is long the currency bearing the higher interest rate, the position "being sold" is worth more than the position being acquired. The reverse is also true; if a trader is short the currency bearing the higher interest rate, the trader is acquiring a position worth more than the one "being sold". The amount of the difference varies based on the currency pair, the interest rate differential between the two currencies, and fluctuates day to day.

Rollover Setting