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Segment Analysis (Notes)
9 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2015
Segment Analysis [Abstract]  
Segment Reporting Disclosure [Text Block]
Segment Analysis
The Company reports its operating segments based on services provided to customers. The Company’s operating segments are arranged into reportable segments as follows:
Commercial Hedging includes Financial Agricultural (Ag’s) & Energy and LME metals,
Global Payments,
Securities includes Equity market-making, Debt Trading, Investment Banking, and Asset Management,
Physical Commodities includes physical precious metals and Physical Ag’s & Energy,
Clearing and Execution Services includes Clearing and Execution Services and FX Prime Brokerage.
Commercial Hedging
The Company serves its commercial clients through its team of risk management consultants, providing a high-value-added service that we believe differentiates it from its competitors and maximizes the opportunity to retain clients. The Company’s risk management consulting services are designed to quantify and monitor commercial entities’ exposure to commodity and financial risk. Upon assessing this exposure the Company develops a plan to control and hedge these risks with post-trade reporting against specific client objectives. Clients are assisted in the execution of their hedging strategies through a wide range of products from listed exchange-traded futures and options, to basic OTC instruments that offer greater flexibility, to structured OTC products designed for customized solutions.
The Company’s services span virtually all traded commodity markets, with the largest concentrations in agricultural and energy commodities (consisting primarily of grains, energy and renewable fuels, coffee, sugar, cotton, and food service) and base metals. The Company’s base metals business includes a position as a Category One ring dealing member of the LME, providing execution, clearing and advisory services in exchange-traded futures and OTC products. The Company also provides execution of foreign currency forwards and options as well as a wide range of structured product solutions to commercial clients who are seeking cost-effective hedging strategies. Generally, clients direct their own trading activity and the Company’s risk management consultants do not have discretionary authority to transact trades on behalf of clients.
Global Payments
The Company provides global payment solutions to banks and commercial businesses as well as charities and non-governmental organizations and government organizations. The Company offers payments services in over 150 currencies, which it believes is more than any other payments solution provider, and provides competitive and transparent pricing. Through its technology platform, full-service electronic execution capability and commitment to customer service, the Company believes it is able to provide simple and fast execution, ensuring delivery of funds in any of these countries quickly through its global network of correspondent banks. In this business, the Company primarily acts as a principal in buying and selling foreign currencies on a spot basis. The Company derives revenue from the difference between the purchase and sale prices.
The Company believes its clients value the Company’s ability to provide exchange rates that are significantly more competitive than those offered by large international banks, a competitive advantage that stems from our years of foreign exchange expertise focused on smaller, less liquid currencies. Additionally, as a member of SWIFT (Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication), the Company is able to offer its services to large money center and global banks seeking more competitive international payments services.
Securities
Through INTL FCStone Securities Inc., the Company provides value-added solutions that facilitate cross-border trading. The Company believes its clients value the Company’s ability to manage complex transactions, including foreign exchange, utilizing its local understanding of market convention, liquidity and settlement protocols around the world. The Company’s clients include U.S.-based regional and national broker-dealers and institutions investing or executing customer transactions in international markets and foreign institutions seeking access to the U.S. securities markets. The Company is one of the leading market makers in foreign securities, including unlisted ADRs and foreign ordinary shares. The Company makes markets in approximately 800 ADRs and foreign ordinary shares traded in the OTC market and will, on request, make prices in more than 8,000 other ADRs and foreign common. In addition, the Company is a broker-dealer in Argentina where it is active in providing institutional executions in the local capital markets.
Following the acquisition of G.X. Clarke, the Company acts as an institutional dealer in fixed income securities, including U.S. Treasuries, Federal Agency and Mortgage-Backed Securities to a client base including asset managers, commercial bank trust and investment departments, broker-dealers, and insurance companies.The Company provides a full range of corporate finance advisory services to its middle market clients, including capital market solutions and a wide array of advisory services across a broad spectrum of industries. The Company’s advisory services span mergers and acquisitions, liability management, restructuring opinions and valuations. The Company also originates, structures and places a wide array of debt instruments in the international and domestic capital markets. These instruments include complex asset-backed securities (primarily in Argentina), unsecured bond and loan issues, negotiable notes and other trade-related debt instruments used in cross-border trade finance. On occasion, the Company may invest its own capital in debt instruments before selling them. The Company also actively trades in a variety of international debt instruments and operates an asset management business in which it earns fees, commissions and other revenues for management of third party assets and investment gains or losses on its investments in funds and proprietary accounts managed either by its investment managers or by independent investment managers.
Physical Commodities
This segment consists of the Company’s physical precious metals trading and physical agricultural and energy commodity businesses. In precious metals, the Company provides a full range of trading and hedging capabilities, including OTC products, to select producers, consumers, and investors. In the Company’s trading activities, it acts as a principal, committing its own capital to buy and sell precious metals on a spot and forward basis.
On April 10, 2015 (the “transfer date”), the Company transitioned the portion of its precious metals business conducted through its unregulated domestic subsidiary, INTL Commodities Inc., to its United Kingdom based broker-dealer subsidiary, INTL FCStone Ltd. INTL FCStone Ltd. is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (“FCA”), the regulator of the financial services industry in the United Kingdom.
Subsequent to the transfer, precious metals inventory held by INTL FCStone Ltd. is measured at fair value, with changes in fair value included as a component of ‘trading gains, net’ on the condensed consolidated income statement, in accordance with U.S. GAAP accounting requirements for broker-dealers. Precious metals inventory held by subsidiaries that are not broker-dealers continues to be valued at the lower of cost or market value.
Prior to the transfer, INTL Commodities Inc.’s precious metals sales and costs of sales were recorded on a gross basis in accordance with the Revenue Recognition Topic of the ASC. Subsequent to the transfer, INTL FCStone Ltd.’s precious metals sales and cost of sales are presented on a net basis and included as a component of ‘trading gains, net’ on the condensed consolidated income statements, in accordance with U.S GAAP accounting requirements for broker-dealers. Precious metals sales and cost of sales for subsidiaries that are not broker-dealers continue to be recorded on a gross basis.
The Company’s physical agricultural and energy commodity business provides financing to commercial commodity-related companies against physical inventories, including grain, lumber, meats, energy products and renewable fuels. The Company uses sale and repurchase agreements to purchase commodities evidenced by warehouse receipts, subject to a simultaneous agreement to sell such commodities back to the original seller at a later date. These transactions are accounted for as product financing arrangements, and accordingly no commodity inventory, purchases or sales are recorded. Additionally, the Company engages as a principal in physical purchase and sale transactions related to inputs to the renewable fuels and feed ingredient industries.
The Company records its physical agricultural and energy commodities revenues on a gross basis. Operating revenues and losses from its commodities derivatives activities are included in ‘trading gains, net’ in the condensed consolidated income statements. Inventory for the physical agricultural and energy commodities business is valued at the lower of cost or fair value under the provisions of the Inventory Topic of the ASC.
The Company generally mitigates the price risk associated with commodities held in inventory through the use of derivatives. The Company does not elect hedge accounting under U.S. GAAP in accounting for this price risk mitigation. In such situations, for subsidiaries that are not broker-dealers, unrealized gains in inventory are not recognized under U.S. GAAP, but unrealized gains and losses in related derivative positions are recognized under U.S. GAAP. As a result, reported earnings from physical commodities trading may be subject to significant volatility when calculated under U.S. GAAP.
Clearing and Execution Services (CES)
The Company seeks to provide competitive and efficient clearing and execution of exchange-traded futures and options for the institutional and professional trader market segments. Through its platform, customer orders are accepted and directed to the appropriate exchange for execution. The Company then facilitates the clearing of clients’ transactions. Clearing involves the matching of clients’ trades with the exchange, the collection and management of client margin deposits to support the transactions, and the accounting and reporting of the transactions to customers. The Company seeks to leverage its capabilities and capacity by offering facilities management or outsourcing solutions to other FCMs.
In addition, the Company provides prime brokerage foreign exchange services to financial institutions and professional traders. The Company provides its customers with the full range of OTC products, including 24 hour execution of spot, forwards and options as well as non-deliverable forwards in both liquid and exotic currencies. The Company also operates a proprietary foreign exchange desk which arbitrages the exchange-traded foreign exchange markets with the cash markets.
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The total revenues reported combine gross revenues for the physical commodities business and net revenues for all other businesses. In order to reflect the way that the Company’s management views the results, the tables below also reflect the segment contribution to ‘operating revenues’, which is shown on the face of the condensed consolidated income statements and which is calculated by deducting physical commodities cost of sales from total revenues.
Segment data includes the profitability measure of net contribution by segment. Net contribution is one of the key measures used by management to assess the performance of each segment and for decisions regarding the allocation of the Company’s resources. Net contribution is calculated as revenue less direct cost of sales, transaction-based clearing expenses, variable compensation, introducing broker commissions, and interest expense. Variable compensation paid to risk management consultants/traders generally represents a fixed percentage of an amount equal to revenues generated, and in some cases, revenues produced less transaction-based clearing charges, base salaries and an overhead allocation.
Segment data also includes segment income which is calculated as net contribution less non-variable direct expenses of the segment. These non-variable direct expenses include trader base compensation and benefits, operational employee compensation and benefits, communication and data services, business development, professional fees, bad debt expense and other direct expenses.
Inter-segment revenues, charges, receivables and payables are eliminated upon consolidation, except revenues and costs related to foreign currency transactions undertaken on an arm’s length basis by the foreign exchange trading business for the securities business. The foreign exchange trading business competes for this business as it does for any other business. If its rates are not competitive, the securities businesses buy or sell their foreign currency through other market counterparties.
On a recurring basis, the Company sweeps excess cash from certain operating segments to a centralized corporate treasury function in exchange for an intercompany receivable asset. The intercompany receivable asset is eliminated during consolidation, and therefore this practice may impact reported total assets between segments.
Information concerning operations in these segments of business is shown in accordance with the Segment Reporting Topic of the ASC as follows:
 
Three Months Ended June 30,
 
Nine Months Ended June 30,
(in millions)
2015
 
2014
 
2015
 
2014
Total revenues:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Commercial Hedging
$
62.2

 
$
54.9

 
$
195.3

 
$
164.3

Global Payments
18.2

 
13.6

 
51.8

 
40.0

Securities
36.5

 
20.0

 
89.8

 
58.6

Physical Commodities
3,847.6

 
6,890.5

 
31,636.2

 
23,020.3

Clearing and Execution Services
29.5

 
27.1

 
92.2

 
85.5

Corporate unallocated
1.1

 
(1.0
)
 
(0.5
)
 
(2.0
)
Total
$
3,995.1

 
$
7,005.1

 
$
32,064.8

 
$
23,366.7

Operating revenues (loss):
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Commercial Hedging
$
62.2

 
$
54.9

 
$
195.3

 
$
164.3

Global Payments
18.2

 
13.6

 
51.8

 
40.0

Securities
36.5

 
20.0

 
89.8

 
58.6

Physical Commodities
4.1

 
3.6

 
17.0

 
13.9

Clearing and Execution Services
29.5

 
27.1

 
92.2

 
85.5

Corporate unallocated
1.1

 
(1.0
)
 
(0.5
)
 
(2.0
)
Total
$
151.6

 
$
118.2

 
$
445.6

 
$
360.3

Net operating revenues (loss):
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Commercial Hedging
$
50.3

 
$
44.1

 
$
161.0

 
$
132.9

Global Payments
16.3

 
11.9

 
45.9

 
34.7

Securities
25.3

 
12.8

 
60.8

 
40.2

Physical Commodities
3.8

 
3.0

 
15.3

 
11.7

Clearing and Execution Services
9.0

 
6.5

 
27.7

 
22.0

Corporate unallocated
(1.3
)
 
(2.3
)
 
(6.2
)
 
(6.2
)
Total
$
103.4

 
$
76.0

 
$
304.5

 
$
235.3

Net contribution:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
(Revenues less cost of sales, transaction-based clearing expenses, variable bonus compensation, introducing broker commissions and interest expense)
 
 
 
 
Commercial Hedging
$
34.5

 
$
32.2

 
$
114.4

 
$
97.3

Global Payments
13.0

 
9.3

 
36.6

 
27.1

Securities
20.2

 
9.7

 
46.4

 
30.5

Physical Commodities
3.2

 
2.0

 
12.1

 
9.2

Clearing and Execution Services
7.0

 
5.5

 
22.0

 
17.7

Total
$
77.9

 
$
58.7

 
$
231.5

 
$
181.8

Segment income:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
(Net contribution less non-variable direct segment costs)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Commercial Hedging
$
18.7

 
$
16.6

 
$
65.3

 
$
51.3

Global Payments
10.2

 
7.0

 
28.3

 
20.3

Securities
12.8

 
4.9

 
26.7

 
15.9

Physical Commodities
0.9

 
0.1

 
5.8

 
3.6

Clearing and Execution Services
2.8

 
0.9

 
9.3

 
4.3

Total
$
45.4

 
$
29.5

 
$
135.4

 
$
95.4

Reconciliation of segment income to income from continuing operations, before tax:
 
 
 
 
Segment income
$
45.4

 
$
29.5

 
$
135.4

 
$
95.4

Net costs not allocated to operating segments
28.2

 
25.5

 
86.5

 
77.2

Income from continuing operations, before tax
$
17.2

 
$
4.0

 
$
48.9

 
$
18.2

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
(continued)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
(in millions)
 
 
 
 
As of June 30, 2015
 
As of September 30, 2014
Total assets:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Commercial Hedging
 
 
 
 
$
1,184.6

 
$
1,400.9

Global Payments
 
 
 
 
55.5

 
51.9

Securities
 
 
 
 
1,736.6

 
235.5

Physical Commodities
 
 
 
 
129.6

 
116.8

Clearing and Execution Services
 
 
 
 
1,282.0

 
1,136.2

Corporate unallocated
 
 
 
 
98.5

 
98.4

Total
 
 
 
 
$
4,486.8

 
$
3,039.7