Otter Tail Corp 10-K

ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK Market risk is the potential loss arising from adverse changes in market rates and prices. We are primarily exposed to interest rate and commodity price risk. Interest Rate Risk Our exposure to interest rate risk as of December 31, 2020 arises from outstanding short-term debt which is subject to variable rates of interest based on benchmark interest rates, primarily LIBOR. As of December 31, 2020 we had $81.0 million of short-term debt outstanding. Holding other variables constant, a one percentage point change in interest rates would have had an approximate $0.3 million impact to interest charges in 2020 based upon our average outstanding short-term debt during the year. All of our outstanding long-term debt obligations on December 31, 2020 have fixed interest rates and thus are not subject to interest rate risk. We manage our interest rate risk through the issuance of fixed-rate debt with varying maturities, by limiting the amount of variable interest rate debt, and the utilization of short-term borrowings to allow flexibility in the timing and placement of long-term debt. We have not used hedging instruments to manage interest risk arising from our portfolio of borrowings. We maintain a ratio of fixed-rate debt to total debt within a certain range. It is our policy to enter into interest rate transactions and other financial instruments only to the extent considered necessary to meet our stated objectives. We do not enter into interest rate transactions for speculative or trading purposes. Commodity Price Risk The companies in our Manufacturing segment are exposed to market risk related to changes in commodity prices for steel, aluminum, and polystyrene and other plastics resins. The price and availability of these raw materials could affect the revenues and earnings of our Manufacturing segment. The companies in our Plastics segment are exposed to market risk related to changes in commodity prices for PVC resins, the raw material used to manufacture PVC pipe. The PVC pipe industry is highly sensitive to commodity raw material pricing volatility. Historically, when resin prices are rising or stable, sales volume has been higher and when resin prices are falling, sales volume has been lower. Operating income may decline when the supply of PVC pipe increases faster than demand. Due to the commodity nature of PVC resin and the dynamic supply and demand factors worldwide, it is very difficult to predict gross margin percentages or to assume that historical trends will continue. We do not engage in any hedging activities to manage our commodity price risk. 34 Table of Content s