Exposure to damage or financial loss, e.g. a fall in the price of a security, or insolvency on the part of a creditor. Financial market theory measures the risk exposure of an investment in terms of the degree of variance. Risk and return are in direct mutual correlation: the higher the risk exposure, the more substantial the long-term return on an investment should be. The main risk categories are: country risk, transfer risk, settlement risk, price risk, interest-rate risk and credit risk. Risks are hedged with provisions. Hedging products available from banks include forward and repurchase transactions, options and financial futures. See also systematic risk.