Note 5 - Fair Value Disclosures; Derivative Instruments

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2021

Notes to Financial Statements

Derivatives and Fair Value [Text Block]

5.  Fair Value Disclosures; Derivative Instruments

U.S. GAAP clarifies that fair value is an exit price, representing the amount that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants. U.S. GAAP also requires that a fair value measurement reflect the assumptions market participants would use in pricing an asset or liability based upon the best information available.

U.S. GAAP establishes a three-level valuation hierarchy for disclosure of fair value measurements. The valuation hierarchy categorizes assets and liabilities at fair value into one of three different levels depending on the observability of the inputs employed in the measurement. The three levels are defined as follows:

● Level 1 – inputs to the valuation methodology are quoted prices (unadjusted) for identical assets or liabilities in active markets.

● Level 2 – inputs to the valuation methodology include quoted prices for similar assets and liabilities in active markets, and inputs are observable for the asset or liability, or unobservable but corroborated by market data, for substantially the full term of the financial instrument.

● Level 3 – inputs to the valuation methodology are unobservable and significant to the fair value measurement.

A financial instrument’s categorization within the valuation hierarchy is based upon the lowest level of the input that is significant to the fair value measurement. The Company’s assessment of the significance of a particular input to the fair value measurement in its entirety requires judgment and considers factors specific to the asset or liability.