Foreign Currency Losses

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2011

Foreign Currency Losses

Foreign Currency Losses

b. Due to cumulative inflation of approximately 100 percent or more over the last 3-year period, the company's Venezuelan subsidiary has applied highly inflationary accounting beginning January 1, 2010. For those international subsidiaries operating in highly inflationary economies, the U.S. dollar is the functional currency, and as such, nonmonetary assets and liabilities are translated at historical exchange rates, and monetary assets and liabilities are translated at current exchange rates. Exchange gains and losses arising from translation are included in other income (expense), net. Effective January 11, 2010, the Venezuelan government devalued the Bolivar Fuerte by 50 percent by resetting the official exchange rate from 2.15 to the U.S. dollar to 4.30 to the U.S. dollar. As a result, the company recorded a foreign exchange loss in the first quarter of 2010 of approximately $20 million. The company has used and continues to use the official exchange rate for translation purposes. At June 30, 2011, the company's operations in Venezuela had net monetary assets denominated in local currency of approximately $19 million.