Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities

The Company uses derivative instruments to mitigate certain exposures. The effects these derivative instruments and hedged items have on financial position, financial performance, and cash flows are provided below.

Foreign Currency Risks and Related Strategies

The Company has foreign currency exposures throughout Europe, Greater Asia, Canada and Latin America. Transactional currency exposures that arise from entering into transactions, generally on an intercompany basis, in non-hyperinflationary countries that are denominated in currencies other than the functional currency are mitigated primarily through the use of forward contracts and currency options. Hedges of the transactional foreign exchange exposures resulting primarily from intercompany payables and receivables are undesignated hedges. As such, the gains or losses on these instruments are recognized immediately in income. These gains and losses are largely offset by gains and losses on the underlying hedged items, as well as the hedging costs associated with the derivative instruments. The net amounts recognized in Other income (expense), net, during the three and three months ended December 31, 2017 and 2016 were immaterial to the Company's consolidated financial results. The total notional amounts of the Company’s outstanding foreign exchange contracts as of December 31, 2017 and September 30, 2017 were $1.4 billion and $2.5 billion, respectively.

In order to mitigate foreign currency exposure relating to its investments in certain foreign subsidiaries, the Company has designated $2 billion of euro-denominated debt, issued during the first and third quarters of fiscal year 2017, as net investment hedges. Accordingly, net gains or losses relating to this debt, which are attributable to changes in the euro to U.S. dollar spot exchange rate, are recorded as accumulated foreign currency translation in Other comprehensive income (loss). Recognition of hedge ineffectiveness into earnings will occur if the notional amount of the euro-denominated debt no longer matches the portion of the net investments in foreign subsidiaries which underlie the hedges. The Company's balance of Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) as of December 31, 2017 included net losses relating to these net investment hedges of $1 million.

Interest Rate Risks and Related Strategies

The Company’s primary interest rate exposure results from changes in U.S. dollar interest rates. The Company’s policy is to manage interest cost using a mix of fixed and variable rate debt. The Company periodically uses interest rate swaps to manage such exposures. Under these interest rate swaps, the Company exchanges, at specified intervals, the difference between fixed and floating interest amounts calculated by reference to an agreed-upon notional principal amount. These swaps are designated as either fair value or cash flow hedges.

For interest rate swaps designated as fair value hedges (i.e., hedges against the exposure to changes in the fair value of an asset or a liability or an identified portion thereof that is attributable to a particular risk), changes in the fair value of the interest rate swaps offset changes in the fair value of the fixed rate debt due to changes in market interest rates.

Changes in the fair value of the interest rate swaps designated as cash flow hedges (i.e., hedging the exposure to variability in expected future cash flows that is attributable to a particular risk) are offset by amounts recorded in Other comprehensive income (loss). If interest rate derivatives designated as cash flow hedges are terminated, the balance in Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) attributable to those derivatives is reclassified into earnings over the remaining life of the hedged debt. The net realized loss related to terminated interest rate swaps expected to be reclassified and recorded in Interest expense within the next 12 months is $4 million, net of tax.

The total notional amount of the Company’s outstanding interest rate swaps designated as fair value hedges was $1.2 billion and $375 million at December 31, 2017 and September 30, 2017, respectively. The outstanding swaps represent fixed-to-floating interest rate swap agreements the Company entered into to convert the interest payments on certain long-term notes from the fixed rate to a floating interest rate based on LIBOR. Changes in the fair value of the interest rate swaps offset changes in the fair value of the fixed rate debt. The (losses) gains recorded on these fair value hedges, which were offset by (gains) losses recorded to the underlying debt instruments, were immaterial to the Company's consolidated financial results.

Effects on Consolidated Balance Sheets

The fair values of derivative instruments outstanding at December 31, 2017 and September 30, 2017 were not material to the Company's consolidated balance sheets.

Effects on Consolidated Statements of Income

Cash flow hedges

The amounts recognized in other comprehensive income during the three months ended December 31, 2017 and 2016 were not material to the Company's consolidated financial results. The Company’s designated derivative instruments are highly effective. As such, there were no gains or losses, related to hedge ineffectiveness or amounts excluded from hedge effectiveness testing, recognized immediately in income relative to derivative contracts outstanding in the periods presented.