Financial Instruments (Policies)

9 Months Ended

Jul. 31, 2011

Financial Instruments

Derivative Financial Instruments Policy

        HP is a global company that is exposed to foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations and interest rate changes in the normal course of its business. As part of its risk management strategy, HP uses derivative instruments, primarily forward contracts, option contracts, interest rate swaps, and total return swaps, to hedge certain foreign currency, interest rate and, to a lesser extent, equity exposures. HP's objective is to offset gains and losses resulting from these exposures with losses and gains on the derivative contracts used to hedge them, thereby reducing volatility of earnings or protecting fair values of assets and liabilities. HP does not have any leveraged derivatives and does not use derivative contracts for speculative purposes. HP designates its derivatives as fair value hedges, cash flow hedges or hedges of the foreign currency exposure of a net investment in a foreign operation ("net investment hedges"). Additionally, for derivatives not designated as hedging instruments, HP categorizes those economic hedges as other derivatives. HP recognizes all derivatives, on a gross basis, in the Consolidated Condensed Balance Sheets at fair value and reports them in Other current assets, Long-term financing receivables and other assets, Other accrued liabilities, or Other liabilities. HP classifies cash flows from the derivative programs as operating activities in the Consolidated Condensed Statements of Cash Flows.

        As a result of the use of derivative instruments, HP is exposed to the risk that counterparties to derivative contracts will fail to meet their contractual obligations. To mitigate the counterparty credit risk, HP has a policy of only entering into contracts with carefully selected major financial institutions based upon their credit ratings and other factors, and HP maintains dollar and term limits that correspond to each institution's credit rating. HP's established policies and procedures for mitigating credit risk on principal transactions and short-term cash include reviewing and establishing limits for credit exposure and continually assessing the creditworthiness of counterparties. Master agreements with counterparties include master netting arrangements as further mitigation of credit exposure to counterparties. These arrangements permit HP to net amounts due from HP to a counterparty with amounts due to HP from the same counterparty.

        To further mitigate credit exposure to counterparties, HP may enter into collateral security arrangements with its counterparties. These arrangements require HP to post collateral or to hold collateral from counterparties when the derivative fair values exceed contractually established thresholds. As of July 31, 2011, the fair value of all derivative instruments under these collateralized arrangements were in a net asset position of approximately $50 million for which approximately $40 million of U.S. Treasury securities have been deposited to a third-party custodian by the counterparties.

        Certain of HP's derivative instruments contain credit risk-related contingent features, such as provisions whereby HP and the counterparties to the derivative instruments could request collateralization on derivative instruments in net liability positions if HP's or the counterparties' credit ratings fall below certain thresholds. As of July 31, 2011 and 2010, HP was not required to post any collateral, and HP did not have any derivative instruments with credit risk-related contingent features that were in a significant net liability position.

• Fair Value Hedges

        . For derivative instruments that are designated and qualify as fair value hedges, HP recognizes the gain or loss on the derivative instrument, as well as the offsetting loss or gain on the hedged item, in Interest and other, net in the Consolidated Condensed Statements of Earnings in the current period.

• Cash Flow Hedges

        For derivative instruments that are designated and qualify as cash flow hedges, HP initially records the effective portion of the gain or loss on the derivative instrument in accumulated other comprehensive income or loss as a separate component of stockholders' equity and subsequently reclassifies these amounts into earnings in the period during which the hedged transaction is recognized in earnings. HP reports the effective portion of cash flow hedges in the same financial statement line item as the changes in value of the hedged item.

           Net Investment Hedges

        HP uses forward contracts designated as net investment hedges to hedge net investments in certain foreign subsidiaries whose functional currency is the local currency. These derivative instruments are designated as net investment hedges and, as such, HP records the effective portion of the gain or loss on the derivative instrument together with changes in the hedged items in cumulative translation adjustment as a separate component of stockholders' equity.

• Other Derivatives

        For derivative instruments not designated as hedging instruments, HP recognizes changes in the fair values in earnings in the period of change. HP recognizes the gain or loss on foreign currency forward contracts used to hedge balance sheet exposures in Interest and other, net in the same period as the remeasurement gain and loss of the related foreign currency denominated assets and liabilities. HP recognizes the gain or loss on the total return swaps and interest rate swaps in Interest and other, net in the same period as the gain or loss from the change in market value of the executive deferred compensation plan liability.

• Hedge Effectiveness

        For interest rate swaps designated as fair value hedges, HP measures effectiveness by offsetting the change in fair value of the hedged debt with the change in fair value of the derivative. For foreign currency options and forward contracts designated as cash flow or net investment hedges, HP measures effectiveness by comparing the cumulative change in the hedge contract with the cumulative change in the hedged item, both of which are based on forward rates. HP recognizes any ineffective portion of the hedge, as well as amounts not included in the assessment of effectiveness, in the Consolidated Condensed Statements of Earnings.