Ford 2014 Annual Report Download - page 94

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ITEM 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
OVERVIEW
We are exposed to a variety of market and other risks, including the effects of changes in foreign currency exchange
rates, commodity prices, and interest rates, as well as risks to availability of funding sources, hazard events, and specific
asset risks.
These risks affect our Automotive and Financial Services sectors differently. We monitor and manage these
exposures as an integral part of our overall risk management program, which includes regular reports to a central
management committee, the Global Risk Management Committee (“GRMC”). The GRMC is chaired by our Chief
Financial Officer, and its members include our Treasurer, our Corporate Controller, and other members of senior
management.
Our Automotive and Financial Services sectors are exposed to liquidity risk, including the possibility of having to
curtail business or being unable to meet financial obligations as they come due because funding sources may be reduced
or become unavailable. Our plan is to maintain funding sources to ensure liquidity through a variety of economic or
business cycles. As discussed in greater detail in Item 7, our funding sources include sales of receivables in
securitizations and other structured financings, unsecured debt issuances, equity and equity-linked issuances, and bank
borrowings.
We are exposed to a variety of insurable risks, such as loss or damage to property, liability claims, and employee
injury. We protect against these risks through the purchase of commercial insurance that is designed to protect us above
our self-insured retentions against events that could generate significant losses.
Direct responsibility for the execution of our market risk management strategies resides with our Treasurer’s Office
and is governed by written policies and procedures. Separation of duties is maintained between the development and
authorization of derivative trades, the transaction of derivatives, and the settlement of cash flows. Regular audits are
conducted to ensure that appropriate controls are in place and that they remain effective. In addition, our market risk
exposures and our use of derivatives to manage these exposures are approved by the GRMC, and reviewed by the Audit
Committee of our Board of Directors.
In accordance with our corporate risk management policies, we use derivative instruments, when available, such as
forward contracts, swaps and options that economically hedge certain exposures (foreign currency, commodity, and
interest rates). We do not use derivative contracts for trading, market-making, or speculative purposes. In certain
instances, we forgo hedge accounting, and in certain other instances, our derivatives do not qualify for hedge accounting.
Either situation results in unrealized gains and losses that are recognized in income. For additional information on our
derivatives, see Note 16 of the Notes to the Financial Statements.
The market and counterparty risks of our Automotive sector and Ford Credit are discussed and quantified below.
AUTOMOTIVE MARKET AND COUNTERPARTY RISK
Our Automotive sector frequently has expenditures and receipts denominated in foreign currencies, including the
following: purchases and sales of finished vehicles and production parts, debt and other payables, subsidiary dividends,
and investments in foreign operations. These expenditures and receipts create exposures to changes in exchange rates.
We also are exposed to changes in prices of commodities used in our Automotive sector and changes in interest rates.
Foreign currency risk, commodity risk, and interest rate risk are measured and quantified using a model to evaluate
the sensitivity of market value to instantaneous, parallel shifts in rates and/or prices.
Foreign Currency Risk. Foreign currency risk is the possibility that our financial results could be better or worse than
planned because of changes in currency exchange rates. Accordingly, our normal practice is to use derivative
instruments, when available, to hedge our economic exposure with respect to forecasted revenues and costs, assets,
liabilities, and firm commitments denominated in foreign currencies. In our hedging actions, we use derivative
instruments commonly used by corporations to reduce foreign exchange risk (e.g., forward contracts).
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