FTAI Aviation Ltd. 10-Q

Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk Market risk represents the risk of changes in value of a financial instrument, caused by fluctuations in interest rates and foreign exchange rates. Changes in these factors could cause fluctuations in our results of operations and cash flows. We are exposed to the market risks described below. Interest Rate Risk Interest rate risk is the exposure to loss resulting from changes in the level of interest rates and the spread between different interest rates. Interest rate risk is highly sensitive to many factors, including the U.S. government’s monetary and tax policies, global economic factors and other factors beyond our control. We are exposed to changes in the level of interest rates and to changes in the relationship or spread between interest rates. Our primary interest rate exposure relates to our term loan arrangements. LIBOR and other indices which are deemed “benchmarks” are the subject of recent national, international, and other regulatory guidance and proposals for reform. On March 5, 2021, the IBA Benchmark Administration confirmed its intention to cease publication of (i) one week and two month USD LIBOR settings after December 31, 2021 and (ii) the remaining USD LIBOR settings after June 30, 2023. We currently have agreements that are indexed to LIBOR and are monitoring related reform proposals and evaluating the related risks; however, it is not possible to predict the effects of any of these developments, and any future initiatives to regulate, reform or change the manner of administration of LIBOR could result in adverse consequences to the rate of interest payable and receivable on, market value of and market liquidity for LIBOR-based financial instruments. Our borrowing agreements generally require payments based on a variable interest rate index, such as LIBOR. Therefore, to the extent our borrowing costs are not fixed, increases in interest rates may reduce our net income by increasing the cost of our debt without any corresponding increase in rents or cash flow from our finance leases. We may elect to manage our exposure to interest rate movements through the use of interest rate derivatives (interest rate swaps and caps). 66 The following discussion about the potential effects of changes in interest rates is based on a sensitivity analysis, which models the effects of hypothetical interest rate shifts on our financial condition and results of operations. Although we believe a sensitivity analysis provides the most meaningful analysis permitted by the rules and regulations of the SEC, it is constrained by several factors, including the necessity to conduct the analysis based on a single point in time and by the inability to include the extraordinarily complex market reactions that normally would arise from the market shifts modeled. Although the following results of a sensitivity analysis for changes in interest rates may have some limited use as a benchmark, they should not be viewed as a forecast. This forward-looking disclosure also is selective in nature and addresses only the potential interest expense impacts on our financial instruments and, in particular, does not address the mark-to-market impact on our interest rate derivatives. It also does not include a variety of other potential factors that could affect our business as a result of changes in interest rates. In addition, the following discussion does not take into account our Series A preferred shares, on which distributions currently accrue interest at a fixed rate but will accrue interest at a floating rate based on three-month LIBOR plus a spread from and after September 15, 2024. As of September 30, 2021, assuming we do not hedge our exposure to interest rate fluctuations related to our outstanding floating rate debt, a hypothetical 100-basis point increase/decrease in our variable interest rate on our borrowings would result in an increase of approximately $0.2 million or an immaterial decrease in interest expense over the next 12 months.