Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK.
Interest Rate Risk
We had cash, cash equivalents, and short-term investments totaling $858.6 million, $550.5 million and $478.2 million, as of June 28, 2024, June 30, 2023 and June 24, 2022, respectively. We have interest rate risk exposure relating to the interest income generated by excess cash invested in highly liquid investments with maturities of three months or less from the original dates of purchase. The cash, cash equivalents, and short-term investments are held for working capital purposes. We have not used derivative financial instruments in our investment portfolio. We have not been exposed nor do we anticipate being exposed to material risks due to changes in market interest rates. Declines in interest rates, however, will reduce future investment income. If overall interest rates had declined by 10 basis points during fiscal year 2024, fiscal year 2023 and fiscal year 2022, our interest income would have decreased by approximately $0.7 million, $0.5 million and $0.4 million, respectively, assuming consistent investment levels.
We also have interest rate risk exposure in movements in interest rates associated with our interest-bearing liabilities. The interest-bearing liabilities are denominated in U.S. dollars. Until September 29, 2023, the interest expense was based on LIBOR, plus an additional margin, depending on the lending institution. If the LIBOR had increased by 100 basis points during fiscal year 2024, fiscal year 2023 and fiscal year 2022, our interest expense would have increased by approximately $0.1 million, $0.2 million and $0.3 million, respectively, assuming consistent borrowing levels. As a result of the phase-out of LIBOR, we amended the Term Loan Agreement to replace the interest rate reference from LIBOR to the SOFR effective from September 29, 2023 (see Note 13).
We therefore entered into interest rate swap agreements (the “Swap Agreements”) to manage this risk and increase the profile of our debt obligation. The terms of the Swap Agreements, one of which matured in June 2023, allow us to effectively convert the floating interest rate to a fixed interest rate. This locks the variable interest expenses associated with our floating rate borrowings and results in fixed interest expenses that are unsusceptible to market rate increases. We designated the Swap Agreements as a cash flow hedge, and they qualify for hedge accounting because the hedges are highly effective. While we intend to continue to meet the conditions for hedge accounting, if hedges do not qualify as highly effective, the changes in the fair value of the derivatives used as hedges would be reflected in our earnings. From September 27, 2019, any gains or losses related to these outstanding interest rate swaps will be recorded in accumulated other comprehensive income in the consolidated balance sheets, with subsequent reclassification to interest expense when settled.
We maintain an investment portfolio in a variety of financial instruments, including, but not limited to, U.S. government and agency bonds, corporate obligations, money market funds, asset-backed securities, and other investment-grade securities. The majority of these investments pay a fixed rate of interest. The securities in the investment portfolio are subject to market price risk due to changes in interest rates, perceived issuer creditworthiness, marketability, and other factors. These investments are generally classified as available-for-sale and, consequently, are recorded on our consolidated balance sheets at fair value with unrealized gains or losses reported as a separate component of shareholders’ equity.
Investments in both fixed-rate and floating-rate interest earning instruments carry a degree of interest rate risk. The fair market values of our fixed-rate securities decline if interest rates rise, while floating-rate securities may produce less income than expected if interest rates fall. Due in part to these factors, our future investment income may be less than we expect because of changes in interest rates, or we may suffer losses in principal if forced to sell securities that have experienced a decline in market value because of changes in interest rates.
Foreign Currency Risk
As a result of our foreign operations, we have significant expenses, assets and liabilities that are denominated in foreign currencies. Substantially all of our employees and most of our facilities are located in Thailand and the PRC. Therefore, a substantial portion of our payroll as well as certain other operating expenses are paid in Thai baht and RMB. The significant majority of our revenues are denominated in U.S. dollars because our customer contracts generally provide that our customers will pay us in U.S. dollars.
As a consequence, our gross profit margins, operating results, profitability and cash flows are adversely impacted when the dollar depreciates relative to the Thai baht or the RMB. We have a particularly significant currency rate exposure to changes
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in the exchange rate between the Thai baht, the RMB and the U.S. dollar. We must translate foreign currency-denominated results of operations, assets and liabilities for our foreign subsidiaries to U.S. dollars in our consolidated financial statements. Consequently, increases and decreases in the value of the U.S. dollar compared with such foreign currencies will affect our reported results of operations and the value of our assets and liabilities on our consolidated balance sheets, even if our results of operations or the value of those assets and liabilities has not changed in its original currency. These transactions could significantly affect the comparability of our results between financial periods or result in significant changes to the carrying value of our assets, liabilities and shareholders’ equity.
We attempt to hedge against these exchange rate risks by entering into derivative instruments that are typically one to twelve months in duration, leaving us exposed to longer term changes in exchange rates. We designated the foreign currency forward contracts used to hedge fluctuations in the U.S. dollar value of forecasted transactions denominated in Thai baht as cash flow hedges, as they qualified for hedge accounting because the hedges are highly effective. While we intend to continue to meet the conditions for hedge accounting, if hedges do not qualify as highly effective, the changes in the fair value of the derivatives used as hedges would be reflected in our earnings. From December 28, 2019, any gains or losses related to these outstanding foreign currency forward contracts will be recorded in accumulated other comprehensive income in the consolidated balance sheets, with subsequent reclassification to the same statement of operations and comprehensive income line item as the earnings effect of hedge items when settled. We recorded unrealized gain of $0.7 million and $0.4 million, respectively, for the year ended June 28, 2024 and June 30, 2023, respectively, related to derivatives that are not designated as hedging instruments. As foreign currency exchange rates fluctuate relative to the U.S. dollar, we expect to incur foreign currency translation adjustments and may incur foreign currency exchange losses. For example, a 10% weakening in the U.S. dollar against the Thai baht and the RMB would have resulted in a decrease in our net dollar position of approximately $7.2 million and $6.0 million as of June 28, 2024 and June 30, 2023, respectively. We cannot give any assurance as to the effect that future changes in foreign currency rates will have on our consolidated financial position, operating results or cash flows.
Credit Risk
Credit risk refers to our exposures to financial institutions, suppliers and customers that have in the past and may in the future experience financial difficulty, particularly in light of recent conditions in the credit markets and the global economy. As of June 28, 2024, our cash and cash equivalents were held in deposits and highly liquid investment products with maturities of three months or less with banks and other financial institutions having credit ratings of A minus or above. Our short-term investments as of June 28, 2024 are held in various financial institutions with a maturity limit not to exceed three years, and all securities are rated A1, P-1, F1 or better. We continue to monitor our surplus cash and consider investment in corporate and U.S. government debt as well as certain available-for-sale and held-to-maturity securities in accordance with our investment policy. We generally monitor the financial performance of our suppliers and customers, as well as other factors that may affect their access to capital and liquidity. Presently, we believe that we will not incur material losses due to our exposures to such credit risk.
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