Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK, (continued)
The following table presents information related to interest rate contracts entered into by the Company and designated as cash flow hedges:
September 30, 2021 September 30, 2020
(Dollar amounts in thousands)
Pay fixed swaps - notional amount $ 250,000 $ 312,500
Net unrealized loss $ (2,062) $ (7,792)
Weighted-average maturity period (years) 2.2 2.6
Weighted-average received rate 0.08 % 0.15 %
Weighted-average pay rate 1.34 % 1.34 %
The interest rate swaps have been designated as cash flow hedges of the future variable interest payments which are considered probable of occurring. Based on the Company's assessment, all the critical terms of each of the hedges matched the underlying terms of the hedged debt and related forecasted interest payments, and as such, these hedges were considered highly effective.
The fair value of the interest rate swaps reflected an unrealized loss, net of unrealized gains, of $2.1 million ($1.6 million after-tax) at September 30, 2021 that is included in equity as part of AOCI. A decrease of 10% in market interest rates (e.g., a decrease from 5.0% to 4.5%) would result in a decrease of approximately $217,000 in the fair value of the interest rate swaps.
Commodity Price Risks - In the normal course of business, the Company is exposed to commodity price fluctuations related to the purchases of certain materials and supplies (such as bronze ingot, steel, granite, fuel and wood) used in its manufacturing operations. The Company obtains competitive prices for materials and supplies when available. In addition, based on competitive market conditions and to the extent that the Company has established pricing terms with customers through contracts or similar arrangements, the Company's ability to immediately increase the price of its products to offset the increased costs may be limited.
Foreign Currency Exchange Rates - The Company is subject to changes in various foreign currency exchange rates, primarily including the Euro, British Pound, Canadian Dollar, and Australian Dollar in the conversion from local currencies to the U.S. dollar of the reported financial position and operating results of its non-U.S. based subsidiaries. An adverse change (strengthening U.S. dollar) of 10% in exchange rates would have resulted in a decrease in reported sales of $56.2 million and a decrease in reported operating income of $1.8 million for the year ended September 30, 2021.
As of September 30, 2021, the Company had a foreign currency derivative contract (U.S. Dollar/Euro cross currency swap) with a notional amount of $94.5 million designated as a net investment hedge of foreign operations. The net unrealized gain for this swap contract at September 30, 2021 was of $22,000 (net of income taxes of $7,000). As of September 30, 2021, the potential gain or loss in the fair value of the swap contract assuming a hypothetical 10% fluctuation in market rates would be approximately $10.3 million.
Actuarial Assumptions - The most significant actuarial assumptions affecting pension expense and pension obligations include the valuation of retirement plan assets, the discount rates and the estimated return on plan assets. The estimated return on plan assets is currently based upon projections provided by the Company's independent investment advisor, considering the investment policy of the plan and the plan's asset allocation. The fair value of plan assets and discount rates are "point-in-time" measures, and volatility of the debt and equity markets makes estimating future changes in fair value of plan assets and discount rates challenging. The Company elected to value its DB Plan and other postretirement benefit plan liabilities using a modified assumption of future mortality that reflects a significant improvement in life expectancy over the previous mortality assumptions. Refer to Note 14, "Pension and Other Postretirement Plans" in Item 8 – "Financial Statements and Supplementary Data" for additional information.
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ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK, (continued)
The following table summarizes the impact on the September 30, 2021 actuarial valuations of changes in the primary assumptions affecting the Company's retirement plans and SERP.
Impact of Changes in Actuarial Assumptions
Change in Discount Rates Change in Expected Return Change in Market Value of Assets
+1% -1% +1% -1% +5% -5%
(Dollar amounts in thousands)
Increase (decrease) in net benefit cost $ 2,354 $ (2,322) $ (2,013) $ 2,013 $ (762) $ 762
(Decrease) increase in projected benefit obligation (32,595) 40,513 — — — —
Increase (decrease) in funded status 32,595 (40,513) — — 10,417 (10,417)
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