Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK
We develop products in Canada and sell these services in North America and Europe. Our sales are primarily made in U.S. dollars, while a major portion of our expenses are incurred in Canadian dollars. Our financial results could be affected by factors such as changes in foreign currency exchange rates or weak economic conditions in foreign markets. Our interest income is sensitive to changes in the general level of Canadian and U.S. interest rates, particularly since the majority of our investments are in short-term instruments. Based on the nature of our short-term investments, we have concluded that there is no material interest rate risk exposure as of December 31, 2023.
We are also subject to market risk exposure related to changes in interest rates under our 2023 Credit Agreement. Changes in interest rates will impact our borrowing cost. However, fluctuations in interest rates are beyond our control. We will continue to monitor and assess the risks associated with interest expense exposure and may act in the future to mitigate these risks.
Although our functional currency is the U.S. dollar, a substantial portion of our fixed expenses are incurred in Canadian dollars. Our policy with respect to foreign currency exposure is to manage financial exposure to certain foreign exchange fluctuations with the objective of neutralizing some of the impact of foreign currency exchange movements. Exchange rates are, however, subject to significant and rapid fluctuations, and therefore we cannot predict the prospective impact of exchange rate fluctuations on our business, results of operations and financial condition. Accordingly, we have entered into foreign exchange forward contracts to mitigate the exchange rate risk on portions of our Canadian dollar exposure.
As of December 31, 2023, we had the following outstanding foreign exchange forward contracts to trade U.S. dollars in exchange for Canada dollars:
Maturity date (Dollar amounts in thousands of U.S. dollars)
Notional amount of U.S. dollars
Weighted average exchange rate of U.S. dollars
Fair value
January - March 2024
16,840
1.3664
592
April - June 2024
13,840
1.3678
507
July - September 2024
16,974
1.3697
652
October - December 2024
13,795
1.3686
526
$
61,449
1.3681
$
2,277
As of December 31, 2023, the Company had $61.4 million of outstanding foreign exchange forward contracts which will convert to CDN $84.1 million. Of these contracts, $61.4 million met the requirements for hedge accounting.
As of December 31, 2022, the Company had $49.7 million of outstanding foreign exchange forward contracts which will convert to CDN $67.0 million. Of these contracts, $49.7 million met the requirements for hedge accounting.
We have performed a sensitivity analysis model for foreign exchange exposure during the year ended December 31, 2023. The analysis used a modeling technique that compares the U.S. dollar equivalent of all expenses incurred in Canadian dollars, at the actual exchange rate, to a hypothetical 10% adverse movement in the foreign currency exchange rates against the U.S. dollar, with all other variables held constant. Foreign currency exchange rates used were based on the market rates in effect during the year ended December 31, 2023. The sensitivity analysis indicated that a hypothetical 10% adverse movement in foreign currency exchange rates would result in a decrease in pre-tax net income for the year ended December 31, 2023 of approximately$6.8 million, before the effects of hedging. We will continue to monitor and assess the risk associated with these exposures and may take additional actions in the future to hedge or mitigate these risks.
Credit Risk
Financial instruments that potentially subject us to concentrations of credit risk consist principally of cash equivalents, marketable securities, foreign exchange contracts and accounts receivable. Our cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments are in high-quality securities placed with major banks and financial institutions whom we have evaluated as highly creditworthy, and commercial paper. Similarly, we enter into our foreign exchange contracts with major banks and financial institutions. With respect to accounts receivable, we perform ongoing evaluations of our customers, generally granting uncollateralized credit terms to our customers, and maintaining an allowance for doubtful accounts based on historical experience and our expectation of future losses.
Interest rate risk
Our exposure to interest rate fluctuations relate primarily to the 2023 Credit Agreement.
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As of December 31, 2023, we had an outstanding balance of $211.9 million on the 2023 Credit Facility. The 2023 Credit Agreement added SOFR Loans as a form of advance available under the 2023 Credit Facility to replace LIBOR Rate Advances, and such SOFR Loans may bear interest based on Adjusted Daily Simple SOFR (defined to be the applicable SOFR rate published by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York plus 0.10% per annum subject to a floor of zero) or Adjusted Term SOFR (defined to be the applicable SOFR rate published by CME Group Benchmark Administration Limited plus 0.10% for one-month, 0.15% for three-months, and 0.25% for six-months per annum). As of December 31, 2023, an adverse change of 100 bps on the interest rate would have the effect of increasing our annual interest payment on the 2023 Credit Agreement by approximately $2.1 million, assuming that the loan balance as of December 31, 2023 is outstanding for the entire period.
ITEM 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA
Our consolidated financial statements and supplementary data required by this item are attached to this Annual Report on Form 10-K beginning on page F-1.
ITEM 9. CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE
None.