Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK
Our Company uses derivative financial instruments primarily to reduce our exposure to adverse fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates, interest rates, commodity prices and other market risks. We do not enter into derivative financial instruments for trading purposes. As a matter of policy, all of our derivative positions are used to reduce risk by hedging an underlying economic exposure. Because of the high correlation between the hedging instruments and the underlying exposures, fluctuations in the values of the instruments are generally offset by reciprocal changes in the values of the underlying exposures.
We monitor our exposure to market risks using several objective measurement systems, including a sensitivity analysis to measure our exposure to fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates, interest rates and commodity prices. Refer to Note 5 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information about our hedging transactions and derivative financial instruments.
Foreign Currency Exchange Rates
We manage most of our foreign currency exposures on a consolidated basis, which allows us to net certain exposures and take advantage of any natural offsets. In 2023, we generated $29.2 billion of our net operating revenues from operations outside the United States. Due to the geographic diversity of our operations, weakness in some currencies may be offset by strength in other currencies over time. We use derivative financial instruments to further reduce our net exposure to foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations.
Our Company enters into forward exchange contracts and purchases foreign currency options and collars (principally euro, British pound and Japanese yen) to hedge certain portions of forecasted cash flows denominated in foreign currencies. Additionally, we enter into forward exchange contracts to offset the earnings impact related to foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations on certain monetary assets and liabilities. We also enter into forward exchange contracts as hedges of net investments in foreign operations.
The total notional values of our foreign currency derivatives were $17,505 million and $11,370 million as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively. These values included derivative instruments that were designated and qualified for hedge accounting along with derivative instruments that are economic hedges. The fair value of foreign currency derivatives that qualified for hedge accounting resulted in a net unrealized gain of $22 million as of December 31, 2023, and we estimate that a 10% weakening of the U.S. dollar would have resulted in a $278 million decrease in fair value. The fair value of the foreign currency derivatives that did not qualify for hedge accounting resulted in a net unrealized loss of $15 million as of December 31, 2023, and we estimate that a 10% weakening of the U.S. dollar would have resulted in a $161 million decrease in fair value.
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Interest Rates
The Company is subject to interest rate volatility with regard to existing and future issuances of debt. We monitor our mix of fixed-rate and variable-rate debt as well as our mix of short-term debt and long-term debt. From time to time, we enter into interest rate swap agreements to manage our exposure to interest rate fluctuations.
Based on the Company’s variable-rate debt and derivative instruments outstanding as of December 31, 2023, we estimate that a 1 percentage point increase in interest rates would have increased interest expense by $134 million in 2023. However, this increase in interest expense would have been partially offset by the increase in interest income due to higher interest rates.
The Company is subject to interest rate risk related to its investments in highly liquid debt securities. These investments are primarily managed by external managers within the guidelines of the Company’s investment policy. Our policy requires these investments to be investment grade, with the primary objective of minimizing the risk of principal loss. In addition, our policy limits the amount of credit exposure to any one issuer. We estimate that a 1 percentage point increase in interest rates would have resulted in a $29 million decrease in the fair value of our portfolio of highly liquid debt securities.
Commodity Prices
The Company is subject to market risk with respect to commodity price fluctuations, principally related to our purchases of sweeteners, metals, juices, PET and fuels. We manage our exposure to commodity risks primarily through the use of supplier pricing agreements, which enable us to establish the purchase prices for certain inputs that are used in our manufacturing and distribution operations. When deemed appropriate, we use derivative financial instruments to further manage our exposure to commodity risks. Certain of these derivatives do not qualify for hedge accounting, but they are effective economic hedges that help the Company mitigate the price risk associated with the purchases and transportation of materials used in our manufacturing processes.
The total notional values of our commodity derivatives were $379 million and $371 million as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively. These values included derivative instruments that were designated and qualified for hedge accounting along with derivative instruments that are economic hedges. The fair value of commodity derivatives that qualified for hedge accounting resulted in a net unrealized loss of $3 million as of December 31, 2023, and we estimate that a 10% decrease in underlying commodity prices would have resulted in a $3 million decrease in fair value . The fair value of the commodity derivatives that did not qualify for hedge accounting resulted in a net loss of $58 million as of December 31, 2023, and we estimate that a 10% decrease in underlying commodity prices would have resulted in a $54 million decrease in fair value.
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