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Financial Instruments (Unaudited)
 9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2020
Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosure [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 derivative contracts to hedge the market risk associated with fluctuations in the prices of commodities it purchases and sells. Derivative financial instruments used by FCX to manage its risks do not contain credit risk-related contingent provisions.

In April 2020, FCX entered into forward sales contracts for 150 million pounds of copper for settlement in May and June of 2020. The forward sales provided for fixed pricing of $2.34 per pound of copper on approximately 60 percent of North America's sales volumes for May and June 2020. These contracts resulted in hedging losses totaling $24 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2020. There were no remaining forward sales contracts after June 30, 2020.

A discussion of FCX’s other 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 Commodity Exchange Inc. (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 resulting from hedge ineffectiveness during the nine-month periods ended September 30, 2020 and 2019. At September 30, 2020, FCX held copper futures and swap contracts that qualified for hedge accounting for 50 million pounds at an average contract price of $2.76 per pound, with maturities through December 2021.
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, including the unrealized gains (losses) on the related hedged item follows (in millions):
 Three Months EndedNine Months Ended
September 30,September 30,
 2020201920202019
Copper futures and swap contracts:  
Unrealized gains (losses):  
Derivative financial instruments$1 $(2)$8 $3 
Hedged item – firm sales commitments(1)2 (8)(3)
Realized gains (losses):  
Matured derivative financial instruments15 (8)(1)(9)

Derivatives Not Designated as Hedging Instruments
Embedded Derivatives. Certain FCX concentrate, copper cathode and gold sales contracts provide for provisional pricing primarily based on the London Metal Exchange (LME) copper price or the COMEX copper price and the London Bullion Market Association (LBMA) gold price at the time of shipment as specified in the contract. FCX receives market prices based on prices in the specified future month, which results in price fluctuations recorded in revenues until the date of settlement. FCX records revenues and invoices customers at the time of shipment based on then-current LME or COMEX copper prices and the LBMA gold prices as specified in the contracts, which results in an embedded derivative (i.e., a pricing mechanism that is finalized after the time of delivery) that is required to be bifurcated from the host contract. The host contract is the sale of the metals contained in the concentrate or cathode at the then-current LME or COMEX copper price, and the LBMA gold price. FCX applies the normal purchases and normal sales scope exception in accordance with derivatives and hedge accounting guidance to the host contract in its concentrate or cathode sales agreements since these contracts do not allow for net settlement and always result in physical delivery. The embedded derivative does not qualify for hedge accounting and is adjusted to fair value through earnings each period, using the period-end LME or COMEX copper forward prices and the adjusted LBMA gold prices, until the date of final pricing. Similarly, FCX purchases copper under contracts that provide for provisional pricing. Mark-to-market price fluctuations from these embedded derivatives are recorded through the settlement date and are reflected in revenues for sales contracts and in inventory for purchase contracts.

A summary of FCX’s embedded derivatives at September 30, 2020, follows:
Open PositionsAverage Price
Per Unit		Maturities Through
 ContractMarket
Embedded derivatives in provisional sales contracts:    
Copper (millions of pounds)381 $2.91 $3.03 March 2021
Gold (thousands of ounces)116 1,941 1,891 January 2021
Embedded derivatives in provisional purchase contracts:  
Copper (millions of pounds)113 2.95 3.03 January 2021

Copper Forward Contracts. Atlantic Copper, FCX’s wholly owned smelting and refining unit in Spain, enters into copper forward 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 production and delivery costs. At September 30, 2020, Atlantic Copper held net copper forward purchase contracts for 26 million pounds at an average contract price of $3.05 per pound, with maturities through November 2020.
Summary of Gains (Losses). A summary of the realized and unrealized gains (losses) recognized in operating income for commodity contracts that do not qualify as hedge transactions, including embedded derivatives, follows (in millions):
 Three Months EndedNine Months Ended
September 30,September 30,
 2020201920202019
Embedded derivatives in provisional sales contracts:a
Copper$94 $(57)$18 $(57)
Gold and other metals15 6 39 17 
Copper forward contractsb
(7)— 12 (3)
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 (in millions):
September 30,
2020		December 31, 2019
Commodity Derivative Assets:  
Derivatives designated as hedging instruments:
  
Copper futures and swap contracts$13 $6 
Derivatives not designated as hedging instruments:
  
Embedded derivatives in provisional sales/purchase contracts51 68 
Copper forward contracts1 — 
Total derivative assets$65 $74 
Commodity Derivative Liabilities:
Derivatives designated as hedging instruments:
Copper futures and swap contracts$— $— 
Derivatives not designated as hedging instruments:
Embedded derivatives in provisional sales/purchase contracts20 20 
Copper forward contracts— 1 
Total derivative liabilities$20 $21 
FCX’s commodity contracts have netting arrangements with counterparties with which the right of offset exists, and it is FCX’s policy to generally offset balances by contract on its balance sheet. FCX’s embedded derivatives on provisional sales/purchase contracts are netted with the corresponding outstanding receivable/payable balances.
A summary of these unsettled commodity contracts that are offset in the balance sheets follows (in millions):
AssetsLiabilities
September 30,
2020		December 31, 2019September 30,
2020		December 31, 2019
Gross amounts recognized:
Embedded derivatives in provisional
sales/purchase contracts$51 $68 $20 $20 
Copper derivatives14 6 — 1 
65 74 20 21 
Less gross amounts of offset:
Embedded derivatives in provisional
sales/purchase contracts3 — 3 — 
3 — 3 — 
Net amounts presented in balance sheet:
Embedded derivatives in provisional
sales/purchase contracts48 68 17 20 
Copper derivatives14 6 — 1 
$62 $74 $17 $21 
Balance sheet classification:
Trade accounts receivable$46 $66 $5 $— 
Other current assets14 6 — — 
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities2 2 12 21 
$62 $74 $17 $21 

Credit Risk.  FCX is exposed to credit loss when financial institutions with which it 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 September 30, 2020, the maximum amount of credit exposure associated with derivative transactions was $52 million.

Other Financial Instruments.  Other financial instruments include cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash, restricted cash equivalents, accounts receivable, investment securities, legally restricted funds, accounts payable and accrued liabilities, dividends payable and long-term debt. The carrying value for cash and cash equivalents (which included time deposits of $0.2 billion at September 30, 2020, and $1.3 billion at December 31, 2019), restricted cash, restricted cash equivalents, 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 7 for the fair values of investment securities, legally restricted funds and long-term debt).

In addition, as of September 30, 2020, FCX has contingent consideration assets related to the sales of certain oil and gas properties (refer to Note 7 for the related fair values).

Cash, Cash Equivalents, Restricted Cash and Restricted Cash Equivalents. The following table provides a reconciliation of total cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash and restricted cash equivalents presented in the consolidated statements of cash flows (in millions):
September 30,
2020		December 31, 2019
Balance sheet components:
Cash and cash equivalents$2,403 $2,020 
Restricted cash and restricted cash equivalents included in:
Other current assets103 100 
Other assets149 158 
Total cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash and restricted cash equivalents presented in the consolidated statements of cash flows$2,655 $2,278