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FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2013
Financial Instruments [Abstract]  
Financial Instruments
FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS
FCX does not purchase, hold or sell derivative financial instruments unless there is an existing asset or obligation, or it anticipates a future activity that is likely to occur and will result in exposure to market risks, which FCX intends to offset or mitigate. FCX does not enter into any derivative financial instruments for speculative purposes, but has entered into derivative financial instruments in limited instances to achieve specific objectives. These objectives principally relate to managing risks associated with commodity price changes, foreign currency exchange rates and interest rates.

Commodity Contracts.  From time to time, FCX has entered into forward, futures and swap contracts to hedge the market risk associated with fluctuations in the prices of commodities it purchases and sells. As a result of the acquisition of PXP, FCX assumed a variety of crude oil and natural gas commodity derivatives, such as swaps, collars, puts, calls and various combinations of these instruments to hedge the exposure to the volatility of crude oil and natural gas commodity prices. Derivative financial instruments used by FCX to manage its risks do not contain credit risk-related contingent provisions. As of December 31, 2013 and 2012, FCX had no price protection contracts relating to its mine production. A discussion of FCX’s derivative contracts and programs follows.

Derivatives Designated as Hedging Instruments – Fair Value Hedges
Copper Futures and Swap Contracts. Some of FCX’s U.S. copper rod customers request a fixed market price instead of the COMEX average copper price in the month of shipment. FCX hedges this price exposure in a manner that allows it to receive the COMEX average price in the month of shipment while the customers pay the fixed price they requested. FCX accomplishes this by entering into copper futures or swap contracts. Hedging gains or losses from these copper futures and swap contracts are recorded in revenues. FCX did not have any significant gains or losses during the three years ended December 31, 2013, resulting from hedge ineffectiveness. At December 31, 2013, FCX held copper futures and swap contracts that qualified for hedge accounting for 44 million pounds at an average contract price of $3.28 per pound, with maturities through November 2014.

A summary of gains (losses) recognized in revenues for derivative financial instruments related to commodity contracts that are designated and qualify as fair value hedge transactions, along with the unrealized gains (losses) on the related hedged item (firm sales commitments) for the years ended December 31 follows:
 
2013
 
2012
 
2011
Unrealized gains (losses):
 
 
 
 
 
Derivative financial instruments
$
1

 
$
15

 
$
(28
)
Hedged item
(1
)
 
(15
)
 
28

Realized gains (losses):
 
 
 
 
 
Matured derivative financial instruments
(17
)
 
(2
)
 
(28
)


Derivatives Not Designated as Hedging Instruments
Embedded derivatives and derivative financial instruments that do not meet the criteria to qualify for hedge accounting are discussed below.

Embedded Derivatives. As described in Note 1 under “Revenue Recognition,” certain FCX copper concentrate, copper cathode and gold sales contracts provide for provisional pricing primarily based on the LME price (copper) or the COMEX price (copper) and the London price (gold) at the time of shipment as specified in the contract. Similarly, FCX purchases copper under contracts that provide for provisional pricing. FCX applies the normal purchases and normal sales scope exception in accordance with derivatives and hedge accounting guidance to the host sales agreements since the contracts do not allow for net settlement and always result in physical delivery. Sales and purchases with a provisional sales price contain an embedded derivative (i.e., the price settlement mechanism is settled after the time of delivery) that is required to be bifurcated from the host contract. The host contract is the sale or purchase of the metals contained in the concentrates or cathodes at the then-current LME or COMEX price (copper) or the London price (gold) as defined in the contract. Mark-to-market price fluctuations recorded through the settlement date are reflected in revenues for sales contracts and in cost of sales as production and delivery costs for purchase contracts.

A summary of FCX’s embedded derivatives at December 31, 2013, follows:
 
Open
 
Average Price
Per Unit
 
Maturities
 
Positions
 
Contract
 
Market
 
Through
Embedded derivatives in provisional sales contracts:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Copper (millions of pounds)
673

 
$
3.24

 
$
3.34

 
June 2014
Gold (thousands of ounces)
254

 
1,245

 
1,202

 
April 2014
Embedded derivatives in provisional purchase contracts:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Copper (millions of pounds)
60

 
3.26

 
3.34

 
April 2014


Crude Oil and Natural Gas Contracts. As a result of the acquisition of PXP, FCX assumed PXP's 2013, 2014 and 2015 derivative instruments that consisted of crude oil options, and crude oil and natural gas swaps. The crude oil and natural gas derivatives are not designated as hedging instruments and are recorded at fair value with the mark-to-market gains and losses recorded in revenues.

The crude oil options were entered into by PXP to protect the realized price of a portion of expected future sales in order to limit the effects of crude oil price decreases. At December 31, 2013, these contracts are composed of crude oil put spreads consisting of put options with a floor limit. The premiums associated with put options are deferred until the settlement period. At December 31, 2013, the deferred option premiums and accrued interest associated with the crude oil option contracts totaled $444 million, which was included as a component of the fair value of the crude oil option contracts. At December 31, 2013, the outstanding crude oil option contracts, all of which settle monthly, follow:
 
 
 
 
 
 
Average Price (per barrel)a
 
 
 
 
Period
 
Instrument Type
 
Daily Volumes (thousand barrels)
 
Floor
 
Floor Limit
 
Average Deferred Premium
 (per barrel)
 
Index
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2014
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Jan - Dec
 
Put optionsb
 
75

 
$
90

 
$
70

 
$
5.74

 
Brent
Jan - Dec
 
Put optionsb
 
30

 
95

 
75

 
6.09

 
Brent
Jan - Dec
 
Put optionsb
 
5

 
100

 
80

 
7.11

 
Brent
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2015
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Jan - Dec
 
Put optionsb
 
84

 
90

 
70

 
6.89

 
Brent
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
a.
The average strike prices do not reflect any premiums to purchase the put options.
b.
If the index price is less than the per barrel floor, FCX receives the difference between the per barrel floor and the index price up to a maximum of $20 per barrel less the option premium. If the index price is at or above the per barrel floor, FCX pays the option premium and no cash settlement is received.

In addition, at December 31, 2013, outstanding natural gas swaps with a weighted-average fixed swap price of $4.09 per million British thermal units (MMBtu) cover approximately 37 million MMBtu of natural gas with maturities through December 2014 (on daily volumes of 100,000 MMBtu). If the Henry Hub index price is less than the fixed price, FCX receives the difference between the fixed price and the Henry Hub index price. FCX pays the difference between the index price and the fixed price if the Henry Hub index price is greater than the fixed price.

Copper Forward Contracts. Atlantic Copper, FCX's wholly owned smelting and refining unit in Spain, enters into forward copper contracts designed to hedge its copper price risk whenever its physical purchases and sales pricing periods do not match. These economic hedge transactions are intended to hedge against changes in copper prices, with the mark-to-market hedging gains or losses recorded in cost of sales. At December 31, 2013, Atlantic Copper held net forward copper sales contracts for 10 million pounds at an average contract price of $3.27 per pound, with maturities through February 2014.

Summary of Gains (Losses). A summary of the realized and unrealized gains (losses) recognized in income before income taxes and equity in affiliated companies’ net earnings for commodity contracts that do not qualify as hedge transactions, including embedded derivatives, for the years ended December 31 follows:
 
2013
 
2012
 
2011
Embedded derivatives in provisional copper and gold
 
 
 
 
 
sales contractsa
$
(136
)
 
$
77

 
$
(519
)
Crude oil optionsa
(344
)
 

 

Natural gas swapsa
10

 



Copper forward contractsb
3

 
15

 
(2
)

a.
Amounts recorded in revenues.
b.
Amounts recorded in cost of sales as production and delivery costs.

Unsettled Derivative Financial Instruments
A summary of the fair values of unsettled commodity derivative financial instruments follows:
 
December 31,
 
2013
 
2012
Commodity Derivative Assets:
 
 
 
Derivatives designated as hedging instruments:
 
 
 
Copper futures and swap contractsa
$
6

 
$
5

Derivatives not designated as hedging instruments:
 
 
 
Embedded derivatives in provisional copper and gold
 

 
 

sales/purchase contracts
63

 
36

Total derivative assets
$
69

 
$
41

Commodity Derivative Liabilities:
 
 
 
Derivatives designated as hedging instruments:
 
 
 
Copper futures and swap contractsa
$

 
$
1

Derivatives not designated as hedging instruments:
 
 
 
Embedded derivatives in provisional copper and gold
 
 
 
sales/purchase contracts
16

 
27

Crude oil optionsb
309

 

Natural gas swaps
4

 

Copper forward contracts
1

 

Total derivative liabilities
$
330

 
$
28


a.
FCX had paid $1 million to brokers at December 31, 2013, and $7 million at December 31, 2012, for margin requirements (recorded in other current assets).
b.
Included $444 million for deferred premiums and accrued interest at December 31, 2013.

FCX's commodity contracts have netting arrangements with counterparties with which the right of offset exists, and it is FCX's policy to offset balances by counterparty on the balance sheet. FCX's embedded derivatives on provisional sales/purchases are netted with the corresponding outstanding receivable/payable balances. A summary of these unsettled commodity contracts that are offset in the balance sheet follows:
 
 
Assets
 
Liabilities
 
 
December 31, 2013
 
December 31, 2012
 
December 31, 2013
 
December 31, 2012
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Gross amounts recognized:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Commodity contracts:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Embedded derivatives on provisional
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
sales/purchase contracts
 
$
63

 
$
36

 
$
16

 
$
27

Crude oil and natural gas derivatives
 

 

 
313

 

Copper derivatives
 
6

 
5

 
1

 
1

 
 
69

 
41

 
330

 
28

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Less gross amounts of offset:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Commodity contracts:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Embedded derivatives on provisional
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
sales/purchase contracts
 
10

 
8

 
10

 
8

Crude oil and natural gas derivatives
 

 

 

 

Copper derivatives
 

 

 

 

 
 
10

 
8

 
10

 
8

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Net amounts presented in balance sheet:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Commodity contracts:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Embedded derivatives on provisional
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
sales/purchase contracts
 
53

 
28

 
6

 
19

Crude oil and natural gas derivatives
 

 

 
313

 

Copper derivatives
 
6

 
5

 
1

 
1

 
 
$
59

 
$
33

 
$
320

 
$
20

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Balance sheet classification:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Trade accounts receivable
 
$
53

 
$
24

 
$

 
$
9

Other current assets
 
6

 
5

 

 

Accounts payable and accrued liabilities
 

 
4

 
205

 
11

Other liabilities
 

 

 
115

 

 
 
$
59

 
$
33

 
$
320

 
$
20



Credit Risk.  FCX is exposed to credit loss when financial institutions with which FCX has entered into derivative transactions (commodity, foreign exchange and interest rate swaps) are unable to pay. To minimize the risk of such losses, FCX uses counterparties that meet certain credit requirements and periodically reviews the creditworthiness of these counterparties. FCX does not anticipate that any of the counterparties it deals with will default on their obligations. As of December 31, 2013, the maximum amount of credit exposure associated with derivative transactions was $54 million.

Other Financial Instruments.  Other financial instruments include cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, investment securities, trust assets, accounts payable and accrued liabilities, dividends payable and long-term debt. The carrying value for cash and cash equivalents (which included time deposits of $211 million at December 31, 2013, and $514 million at December 31, 2012), accounts receivable, accounts payable and accrued liabilities, and dividends payable approximates fair value because of their short-term nature and generally negligible credit losses (refer to Note 15 for the fair values of investment securities, trust assets and long-term debt).

In addition, FCX has non-detachable warrants, which are considered to be embedded derivative instruments, associated with the Plains Offshore Preferred Stock (refer to Note 2 for further discussion and Note 15 for the fair value of these instruments).