Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
We are exposed to market risk from changes in foreign currency exchange rates and interest rates and, to a lesser extent, commodities. To reduce such risks, we selectively use financial instruments and other proactive management techniques. All hedging transactions are authorized and executed pursuant to clearly defined policies and procedures, which strictly prohibit the use of financial instruments for trading or speculative purposes. A discussion of our accounting policies for derivative financial instruments is included within Note 9, “Derivatives” in the notes to the consolidated financial statements.
Foreign Currency Risk —We maintain operations in the U.S. and various foreign countries. Our non-U.S. operations, the largest of which are located in the Netherlands (and other countries whose functional currency is the Euro), the United Kingdom, Australia, the United Arab Emirates and China, have foreign currency risk relating to receipts from customers, payments to suppliers and intercompany transactions denominated in foreign currencies. Under certain conditions, we enter into hedging transactions, primarily forward foreign currency swaps, that enable us to mitigate the potential adverse impact of foreign currency exchange rate risk (see Note 9, “Derivatives” in the notes to the consolidated financial statements for further information). We do not engage in trading or other speculative activities with these transactions, as established policies require th at these hedging transactions relate to specific currency exposures.
The strengthening of the U.S. dollar can have an unfavorable impact on our results of operations and financial position as foreign denominated operating results are translated into U.S. dollars. To illustrate the potential impact of changes in foreign currency exchange rates on the translation of our results of operations, annual sales and operating profit were remeasured assuming a ten percent reduction in foreign exchange rates compared to the U.S. dollar. Under this assumption, annual sales would have been $25 million lower and operating profit would have been $3 million lower for the twelve months ended August 31, 2021. This sensitivity analysis assumes that each exchange rate would change in the same direction relative to the U.S. dollar and excludes the potential effects that changes in foreign currency exchange rates may have on actual sales or price levels. Similarly, a ten percent decline in foreign currency exchange rates relative to the U.S. dollar on our August 31, 2021 financial position would result in a $44 million reduction to equity (accumulated other comprehensive loss), as a result of non-U.S. dollar denominated assets and liabilities being translated into U.S. dollars, our reporting currency.
Interest Rate Risk —In the current economic environment, we manage interest expense using a mix ture of variable rate debt and fixed-interest-rate swaps. As of August 31, 2021, long term debt consisted of $ 175 million of borrowings under the revolving line of credit (variable rate debt). We were the fixed-rate payor on an interest rate swap that effectively fixed the LIBOR-based index on $100 million of borrowings under our revolving line of credit through August 31, 2021.
C ommodity Risk —We source a wide variety of materials and components from a network of global suppliers. While such materials are typically available from numerous suppliers, commodity raw materials, such as steel, aluminum, plastic resin, brass, steel wire and rubber are subject to price fluctuations which could have a negative impact on our results. We strive to timely pass along such commodity price increases to customers to avoid profit margin erosion.
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