DERIVATIVE INSTRUMENTS AND HEDGING ACTIVITIES

All derivatives are recognized on the Company’s Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets at fair value. On the date the derivative contract is entered into, the Company designates the derivative as either (1) a fair value hedge of a recognized liability, (2) a cash flow hedge of a forecasted transaction, (3) a hedge of a net investment in a foreign operation, or (4) a non-designated derivative instrument.

The Company formally documents all relationships between hedging instruments and hedged items, as well as the risk management objectives and strategy for undertaking various hedge transactions. The Company formally assesses, both at the hedge’s inception and on an ongoing basis, whether the derivatives that are used in hedging transactions are highly effective in offsetting changes in fair values or cash flow of hedged items or the net investment hedges in foreign operations. When it is determined that a derivative is no longer highly effective as a hedge, hedge accounting is discontinued on a prospective basis.

The Company categorizes its derivative assets and liabilities into one of three levels based on the assumptions used in valuing the asset or liability. See Note 15 for a discussion of the fair value hierarchy as per the guidance in Accounting Standards Codification 820, “Fair Value Measurements.” The Company’s valuation techniques are designed to maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs.

Foreign Currency and Interest Rate Risk

The Company has significant manufacturing operations in the United States, France, Germany, Finland and Brazil, and it purchases a portion of its tractors, combines and components from third-party foreign suppliers, primarily in various European countries and in Japan. The Company also sells products in over 140 countries throughout the world. The Company’s most significant transactional foreign currency exposures are the Euro, the Brazilian real and the Canadian dollar in relation to the United States dollar and the Euro in relation to the British pound.

The Company attempts to manage its transactional foreign exchange exposure by hedging foreign currency cash flow forecasts and commitments arising from the anticipated settlement of receivables and payables and from future purchases and sales. Where naturally offsetting currency positions do not occur, the Company hedges certain, but not all, of its exposures through the use of foreign currency contracts. The Company’s translation exposure resulting from translating the financial statements of foreign subsidiaries into United States dollars may be partially hedged from time to time. The Company’s most significant translation exposures are the Euro, the British pound and the Brazilian real in relation to the United States dollar and the Swiss franc in relation to the Euro. When practical, the translation impact is reduced by financing local operations with local borrowings.

The Company uses floating rate and fixed rate debt to finance its operations. The floating rate debt obligations expose the Company to variability in interest payments due to changes in the EURIBOR and LIBOR benchmark interest rates. The Company believes it is prudent to limit the variability of a portion of its interest payments, and to meet that objective, the Company periodically enters into interest rate swaps to manage the interest rate risk associated with the Company’s borrowings. The Company designates interest rate contracts used to convert the interest rate exposure on a portion of the Company’s debt portfolio from a floating rate to a fixed rate as cash flow hedges, while those contracts converting the Company’s interest rate exposure from a fixed rate to a floating rate are designated as fair value hedges.

The Company’s senior management establishes the Company’s foreign currency and interest rate risk management policies. These policies are reviewed periodically by the Finance Committee of the Company’s Board of Directors. The policies allow for the use of derivative instruments to hedge exposures to movements in foreign currency and interest rates. The Company’s policies prohibit the use of derivative instruments for speculative purposes.

Counterparty Risk

The Company regularly monitors the counterparty risk and credit ratings of all the counterparties to the derivative instruments. The Company believes that its exposures are appropriately diversified across counterparties and that these counterparties are creditworthy financial institutions. If the Company perceives any risk with a counterparty, then the Company would cease to do business with that counterparty. There have been no negative impacts to the Company from any non-performance of any counterparties.

Derivative Transactions Designated as Hedging Instruments

Foreign Currency Contracts

During 2016, no foreign currency contracts were designated as cash flow hedges of expected future sales and purchases. The Company designated certain foreign currency contracts as cash flow hedges of expected future sales and purchases during 2015. The effective portion of the fair value gains or losses on these cash flow hedges were recorded in other comprehensive loss and were subsequently reclassified into cost of goods sold during the period the sales and purchases were recognized. These amounts offset the effect of the changes in foreign currency rates on the related sale and purchase transactions. The amount of the net loss recorded in other comprehensive loss that was reclassified into cost of goods sold during the three months ended March 31, 2015 was approximately $0.3 million on an after-tax basis.

As of March 31, 2016 and December 31, 2015, there were no outstanding foreign currency cash flow hedge contracts.

Interest Rate Swap Contracts

Cash Flow Hedge

During the third quarter of 2015, the Company entered into an interest rate swap instrument with a notional amount of €312.0 million (or approximately $355.4 million as of March 31, 2016) and an expiration date of June 26, 2020. The swap was designated and accounted for as a cash flow hedge. Under the swap agreement, the Company pays a fixed interest rate of 0.33% plus the applicable margin, and the counterparty to the agreement pays a floating interest rate based on the three-month EURIBOR.

Changes in the fair value of the interest rate swap are recorded in other comprehensive income (loss). These amounts are subsequently reclassified into “Interest expense, net” as a rate adjustment in the same period in which the related interest on the Company’s floating rate term loan facility affects earnings. For the three months ended March 31, 2016, the effective portion of the unrealized change in fair value, net of tax, was a loss of approximately $4.7 million, which was recorded in other comprehensive income. The amount of the net loss recorded in other comprehensive income that was reclassified into “Interest expense, net” during the three months ended March 31, 2016 was approximately $0.2 million, on an after-tax basis. There was no ineffectiveness during the three months ended March 31, 2016.

Fair Value Hedge

During the third quarter of 2015, the Company entered into an interest rate swap instrument with a notional amount of $300.0 million and an expiration date of December 1, 2021 designated as a fair value hedge of the Company’s 5⁷/8% senior notes (Note 6). Under the interest rate swap, the Company pays a floating interest rate based on the three-month LIBOR plus a spread of 4.14% (or a weighted average interest rate of 4.52% from the date of inception of the interest rate swap to March 31, 2016) and the counterparty to the agreement pays a fixed interest rate of 5⁷/8%. The gains and losses related to changes in the fair value of the interest rate swap are recorded to “Interest expense, net” and offset changes in the fair value of the underlying hedged 5⁷/8% senior notes.

For the three months ended March 31, 2016, the Company recorded unrealized losses on the hedged debt of approximately $7.5 million in “Interest expense, net” in the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations. The unrealized gains of approximately $7.5 million on the related interest rate swap instrument offset such unrealized losses, and were also recorded in “Interest expense, net” in the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations.

The following table summarizes the activity in accumulated other comprehensive loss related to the derivatives held by the Company during the three months ended March 31, 2016 (in millions):



	Before-Tax Amount			Income Tax			After-Tax Amount
Accumulated derivative net losses as of December 31, 2015	$	(3.3	)	$	(1.3	)	$	(2.0	)
Net changes in fair value of derivatives	(4.8		)	(1.9		)	(2.9		)
Net losses reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive loss into income	0.4			0.2			0.2
Accumulated derivative net losses as of March 31, 2016	$	(7.7	)	$	(3.0	)	$	(4.7	)

Net Investment Hedges

The Company uses non-derivative and, from time to time, derivative instruments, to hedge a portion of its net investment in foreign operations against adverse movements in exchange rates. The Company measures ineffectiveness on these derivatives based on changes in forward rates.

For instruments that are designated as hedges of net investments in foreign operations, changes in the fair value of the derivative instruments are recorded in foreign currency translation adjustments, a component of accumulated other comprehensive loss, to offset changes in the value of the net investments being hedged. When the net investment in foreign operations is sold or substantially liquidates, the amounts recorded in accumulated other comprehensive loss are reclassified to earnings. To the extent foreign currency denominated debt is dedesignated from a net investment hedge relationship, changes in the value of the foreign currency denominated debt are recorded in earnings through the maturity date.

During 2015, the Company designated its €312.0 million (or approximately $355.4 million as of March 31, 2016) term loan facility with a maturity date of June 26, 2020 as a hedge of its net investment in foreign operations to offset foreign currency translation gains or losses on the net investment. As of March 31, 2016, approximately $9.0 million of foreign currency losses were included in the cumulative translation adjustment component of accumulated other comprehensive loss.

There was no ineffectiveness with respect to the net investment hedge discussed above during the three months ended March 31, 2016.

Derivative Transactions Not Designated as Hedging Instruments

During 2016 and 2015, the Company entered into foreign currency contracts to economically hedge receivables and payables on the Company and its subsidiaries’ balance sheets that are denominated in foreign currencies other than the functional currency. These contracts were classified as non-designated derivative instruments.

As of March 31, 2016 and December 31, 2015, the Company had outstanding foreign currency contracts with a notional amount of approximately $1,644.2 million and $1,533.9 million, respectively, that were entered into to economically hedge receivables and payables that were denominated in foreign currencies other than the functional currency. Changes in the fair value of these contracts are reported in “Other (income) expense, net.” For the three months ended March 31, 2016 and 2015, the Company recorded a net gain of approximately $8.3 million and a net loss of $45.7 million, respectively, within “Other (income) expense, net” related to these contracts. Gains and losses on such contracts are substantially offset by losses and gains on the remeasurement of the underlying asset or liability being hedged.

The table below sets forth the fair value of derivative instruments as of March 31, 2016 (in millions):



	Asset Derivatives as of March 31, 2016			Liability Derivatives as of March 31, 2016
	Balance Sheet Location	Fair Value		Balance Sheet Location	Fair Value
Derivative instruments designated as hedging instruments:
Interest rate swap contracts	Other noncurrent assets	$	7.5	Other noncurrent liabilities	$	7.8
Derivative instruments not designated as hedging instruments:
Foreign currency contracts	Other current assets	10.9		Other current liabilities	13.7
Total derivative instruments		$	18.4		$	21.5

The table below sets forth the fair value of derivative instruments as of December 31, 2015 (in millions):



	Asset Derivatives as of December 31, 2015			Liability Derivatives as of December 31, 2015
	Balance Sheet Location	Fair Value		Balance Sheet Location	Fair Value
Derivative instruments designated as hedging instruments:
Interest rate swap contracts	Other current assets	$	—	Other current liabilities	$	5.9
Derivative instruments not designated as hedging instruments:
Foreign currency contracts	Other current assets	4.8		Other current liabilities	7.9
Total derivative instruments		$	4.8		$	13.8