Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
Interest Rate and Foreign Currency Risk Management
Adient regularly reviews its underlying foreign exchange and interest rate exposures, both on a stand-alone basis and in conjunction with applicable derivative hedge positions. Given the effective horizons of Adient's risk management activities and the anticipatory nature of the exposures, there is no assurance the “derivative hedge” positions will offset more than a portion of the financial impact resulting from movements in Adient's underlying foreign exchange or interest rate exposures. Further, the recognition of the gains and losses related to these instruments may not coincide with the timing of gains and losses related to the underlying economic exposures and, therefore, may adversely affect Adient's financial condition and operating results.
Adient selectively uses derivative instruments to reduce market risk associated with changes in foreign currency. All hedging transactions were authorized and executed pursuant to clearly defined policies and procedures, which strictly prohibit the use of financial instruments for speculative purposes. At the inception of the hedge, Adient assesses the effectiveness of the hedge instrument and designates the hedge instrument as either (1) a hedge of a recognized asset or liability or of a recognized firm commitment (a fair value hedge), (2) a hedge of a forecasted transaction or of the variability of cash flows to be received or paid related to an unrecognized asset or liability (a cash flow hedge) or (3) a hedge of a net investment in a non-U.S. operation (a net investment hedge). Adient performs hedge effectiveness testing on an ongoing basis depending on the type of hedging instrument used. All other derivatives not designated as hedging instruments under ASC 815, “Derivatives and Hedging,” are revalued in the consolidated statements of income (loss).
Adient evaluates cash flow hedges for effectiveness at inception based on the critical terms match method. The hedges are not expected to incur any ineffectiveness, however, a quarterly qualitative assessment of effectiveness is done to determine if the critical terms match method remains appropriate to use.
For all designated net investment hedges, Adient assesses its net investment position in non-U.S. operations and compares it with the outstanding net investment hedge principal on a quarterly basis. All hedges are deemed highly effective if the aggregate outstanding principal of the hedge instrument designated as the net investment hedge in a non-U.S. operation is between 80% and 125% of its net investment position in respective non-U.S. operations.
Further details are provided in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report in the notes to consolidated financial statements. A discussion of Adient's accounting policies for derivative financial instruments is included in Note 1, “Organization and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies,” and further disclosure relating to derivatives and hedging activities is included in Note 10, “Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities,” and Note 11, “Fair Value Measurements,” of the notes to consolidated financial statements.
Interest Rate Risk
Adient's exposure to changes in global interest rates relates primarily to Adient's investment portfolio and outstanding debt. While Adient is exposed to global interest rate fluctuations, Adient's interest income and expense are most sensitive to fluctuations in U.S. interest rates. Changes in global interest rates affect the interest earned on Adient's cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities and the fair value of those securities, as well as costs associated with hedging and interest paid on Adient's debt.
Adient's investment policy and strategy are focused on preservation of capital and supporting Adient's liquidity requirements. Adient uses a combination of internal and external management to execute its investment strategy and achieve its investment objectives. Adient typically invests in highly-rated securities, and its investment policy generally limits the amount of credit exposure to any one issuer. The policy requires investments generally to be investment grade, with the primary objective of minimizing the potential risk of principal loss.
Further details regarding Adient's debt and financing arrangements are provided in Note 9, “Debt and Financing Arrangements,” of the notes to consolidated financial statements.
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Foreign Currency Risk
Adient has manufacturing, sales and distribution facilities around the world and thus makes investments and enters into transactions denominated in various foreign currencies. In order to maintain strict control and achieve the benefits of Adient's global diversification, foreign exchange exposures for each currency are netted internally so that only its net foreign exchange exposures are, as appropriate, hedged with financial instruments.
On an annual basis, Adient hedges 70% to 90% of the nominal amount of each of its known foreign exchange transactional exposures. Adient primarily enters into foreign currency exchange contracts to reduce the earnings and cash flow impact of the variation of non-functional currency denominated receivables and payables. Gains and losses resulting from hedging instruments offset the foreign exchange gains or losses on the underlying assets and liabilities being hedged. The maturities of the forward exchange contracts generally coincide with the settlement dates of the related transactions. Realized and unrealized gains and losses on these contracts are recognized in the same period as gains and losses on the hedged items. During fiscal 2025, Adient had hedge contracts outstanding with the aim of hedging balance sheet items, or with the aim of hedging forecasted commitments. Foreign exchange contracts hedging balance sheet items are marked-to-market through the income statement, while foreign exchange contracts to hedge forecasted commitments are designated in a hedge relationship as a cash flow hedge. These are marked-to-market through other comprehensive income when effective.
Currency translations of net assets of Adient’s non-U.S. operations are also sensitive to changes in foreign currency exchange rates. As of September 30, 2025, certain foreign currency forward contracts have been designated to selectively hedge portions of Adient's net investments in China. Cross currency interest rate swap contracts are also utilized to selectively hedge portions of Adient’s investments in Europe. The currency effects of such contracts are reflected in the foreign currency translation adjustments account within shareholders' equity attributable to Adient where they offset gains and losses recorded on Adient's net investments in China and Europe.
At September 30, 2025 and 2024, Adient estimates that the fair value of outstanding foreign exchange contracts would have been adversely impacted by approximately $77 million and $72 million, respectively, from an unfavorable 10% change in all applicable foreign currency exchange rates versus the U.S. Dollar. In practice, such a change would generally be offset by an opposing fair value change of the underlying asset, liability or transaction.
Commodity Risk
Adient's exposures to market risk from changes in the price of production material are managed primarily through indexing arrangements and negotiations with suppliers and customers, although not all customer commodity exposures are covered by indexing arrangements and there can be no assurance that Adient will otherwise be able to recover all such costs. Adient’s current indexing arrangements with its customers typically provide for partial recovery of commodity price changes on a lag of 3 months to, in some cases, more than 12 months between cost occurrence and partial recovery. Adient continues to evaluate its arrangements with its customers and to pursue negotiated commercial settlements related to commodity pricing matters. Adient evaluates from time to time derivatives available in the marketplace and may decide to utilize derivatives in the future to manage select commodity risks if acceptable hedging instruments and counterparties are identified for its exposure level at that time, as well as the effectiveness of the financial hedge among other factors.
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