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Currency swings curtail options strategies

Rome

THE highest currency-market volatility in more than four years is depriving investors of a cheap way to protect against risks in financial markets - including Britain's referendum on its membership of the European Union (EU).

A JPMorgan Chase & Co index of swings in exchange rates averages more this month than at any time since 2011. Because volatility helps determine the price of currency options, they are losing appeal as a way to speculate in foreign-exchange markets, leading money managers to seek less-expensive alternatives.

"There is less appetite to take option positions," said Ugo Lancioni, who manages the currency portfolio for Neuberger Berman in London. "If your view is purely directional,...

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