PluginBench
Skill
Official
Pass
Audit score 90

fx-carry-trade

anthropics/financial-services

Evaluate FX carry trade opportunities using spot rates, forward curves, volatility surfaces, and interest rate differentials.

What is fx-carry-trade?

Analyzes foreign exchange carry trade opportunities by combining spot rates, forward points, interest rate differentials, volatility surface analysis, and historical price trends. Use this skill when evaluating carry trades, comparing FX forward curves, assessing carry-to-vol ratios, or identifying optimal currency pair opportunities across different tenors.

  • Retrieves spot rates, forward curves, and forward points across standard tenors (1M, 3M, 6M, 1Y)
  • Computes annualized carry at each tenor and identifies the optimal risk-adjusted entry point
  • Extracts implied volatility surfaces including ATM vol, risk reversals, and butterfly spreads
  • Calculates carry-to-vol ratios to measure risk-adjusted attractiveness of each trade
  • Analyzes historical spot price trends and 52-week ranges for directional context
  • Synthesizes multi-tenor carry profiles with vol surface signals and position sizing guidance

How to install fx-carry-trade

npx skills add https://github.com/anthropics/financial-services --skill fx-carry-trade
Prerequisites
  • Access to MCP tools for FX spot prices, forward curves, volatility surfaces, interest rate curves, and historical pricing data
  • Understanding of carry trade mechanics and carry-to-vol ratio interpretation
Claude Code
Cursor
Windsurf
Cline

How to use fx-carry-trade

  1. 1.Call fx_spot_price to retrieve the current spot rate and bid-ask spread for your target currency pair
  2. 2.Call fx_forward_price at your target tenor to compute annualized carry from forward points
  3. 3.Call fx_forward_curve to map the full carry term structure across all standard tenors
  4. 4.Call fx_vol_surface to extract ATM implied volatility, 25-delta risk reversals, and butterfly spreads at your target tenor
  5. 5.Call tscc_historical_pricing_summaries to retrieve 1-year daily historical data and assess spot trend direction
  6. 6.Compute carry-to-vol ratios for each tenor, evaluate skew signals, and synthesize into a carry profile recommendation with position sizing guidance

Use cases

Good for
  • Identifying high carry-to-vol ratio opportunities across currency pairs and tenors
  • Comparing forward curve shapes to find the optimal tenor for a carry trade entry
  • Assessing skew signals from risk reversals to evaluate directional bias and tail risk
  • Monitoring carry-to-vol deterioration as a signal to reduce or exit positions
  • Building multi-leg carry portfolios by evaluating relative attractiveness across pairs
Who it's for
  • FX traders and strategists evaluating carry trade opportunities
  • Portfolio managers seeking to enhance returns through interest rate differentials
  • Risk managers assessing carry-to-vol ratios and volatility surface dynamics
  • Quantitative analysts building systematic carry trade strategies

fx-carry-trade FAQ

What is the carry-to-vol ratio and why is it important?

The carry-to-vol ratio is annualized carry divided by ATM implied volatility. It measures the risk-adjusted attractiveness of a carry trade — higher ratios indicate better compensation for the volatility risk inherent in carry positions.

How do I use the forward curve to find the optimal tenor?

Map annualized carry across all tenors (1M, 3M, 6M, 1Y) and overlay the corresponding ATM implied volatilities. The optimal tenor typically offers the highest carry-to-vol ratio while balancing liquidity and roll costs.

What do risk reversals tell me about a carry trade?

A 25-delta risk reversal measures skew — positive values indicate calls are more expensive than puts, suggesting bullish bias. This helps assess directional conviction and tail risk in your carry position.

How should I use historical spot trends in carry analysis?

Historical data helps contextualize current spot levels within the 52-week range and identify the prevailing trend direction. This informs position sizing and helps avoid entering carry trades at extreme valuations.

What is the primary risk signal for a carry trade?

Rising implied volatility is the primary risk signal for carry trades, as they are inherently short-volatility positions. Monitor the vol surface and carry-to-vol ratio deterioration as early warning signs to reduce or exit positions.

Full instructions (SKILL.md)

Source of truth, from anthropics/financial-services.


name: fx-carry-trade description: Evaluate FX carry trade opportunities by combining spot rates, forward points, interest rate differentials, volatility surface analysis, and historical price trends. Use when analyzing carry trades, comparing FX forward curves, assessing carry-to-vol ratios, or evaluating currency pair opportunities.

FX Carry Trade Analysis

You are an expert FX strategist specializing in carry trade analysis. Combine spot rates, forward curves, volatility surfaces, and historical data from MCP tools to evaluate carry trade opportunities. Focus on routing tool outputs into carry-to-vol assessments — let the tools provide pricing data, you compute risk-adjusted metrics and recommend.

Core Principles

A carry trade earns the interest rate differential but bears FX spot risk. The carry-to-vol ratio (annualized carry / ATM implied vol) is the key metric — it measures risk-adjusted attractiveness. Always map the full forward curve to find the optimal tenor, overlay the vol surface to assess risk, and check historical spot trends for directional context. Carry trades are short-volatility by nature; rising vol is the primary risk signal.

Available MCP Tools

  • fx_spot_price — Current spot rate for a currency pair. Returns mid/bid/ask. Starting point for all carry analysis.
  • fx_forward_price — Forward rate at a specific tenor. Returns forward points and outright rate. Use to compute carry at the target tenor.
  • fx_forward_curve — Full forward curve across all standard tenors. Two-phase: list then calculate. Use to map the carry term structure.
  • fx_vol_surface — Implied volatility surface by delta and expiry. Returns ATM vol, risk reversals, butterflies. Use for carry-to-vol ratio and skew assessment.
  • tscc_historical_pricing_summaries — Historical spot price data. Use to compute realized vol and assess spot trend direction.
  • interest_rate_curve — Yield curves by currency. Use to understand the rate differential driving the carry.

Tool Chaining Workflow

  1. Get Spot Rate: Call fx_spot_price for the currency pair. Note bid-ask spread as a liquidity indicator.
  2. Price the Forward: Call fx_forward_price at the target tenor. Compute annualized carry from forward points.
  3. Map Carry Curve: Call fx_forward_curve (list then calculate). Compute annualized carry at each tenor. Identify the sweet-spot tenor with best risk-adjusted carry.
  4. Assess Vol Risk: Call fx_vol_surface. Extract ATM vol at the target tenor, 25-delta risk reversal (skew), and butterfly (tail risk). Compute carry-to-vol ratio.
  5. Historical Context: Call tscc_historical_pricing_summaries for 1Y daily data. Assess 52-week range, trend direction, and where current spot sits in the range.
  6. Synthesize: Combine into a carry profile with carry-to-vol ratio, vol surface signals, and historical context. Recommend entry with position sizing guidance.

Output Format

Carry Profile

Metric1M3M6M1Y
Forward Points (pips)............
Annualized Carry (%)............
ATM Implied Vol (%)............
Carry-to-Vol Ratio............
25d Risk Reversal............

Vol Surface Summary

TenorATM Vol25d Put25d CallRRBF
1M...............
3M...............
6M...............

Carry Trade Recommendation

For each recommended trade: pair and direction, tenor, annualized carry, carry-to-vol ratio, skew signal (bullish/neutral/bearish), key risks, and conviction (high/medium/low).