Derivative Instruments

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2013

Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosure [Abstract]

Derivative Instruments

DERIVATIVE INSTRUMENTS

The Company uses various derivative financial instruments to manage its exposure to changes in interest rates and PGM market commodity prices. Some of these derivatives are designated as hedges. Because the Company hedges only with instruments that have a high correlation with the value of the underlying exposures, changes in the derivatives’ fair value are expected to be offset by changes in the value of the hedged transaction.

COMMODITY DERIATIVES

The Company customarily enters into fixed forward contracts and on occasion it also enters into financially settled forward contracts to offset the price risk in its PGM recycling activity. From time to time, it also has entered into these types of contracts on portions of its mine production. Under these customary fixed forward transactions, the Company agrees to deliver a stated quantity of metal on a specific future date at a price stipulated in advance. The Company uses fixed forward transactions primarily to price in advance the metals acquired for processing in its recycling segment. Under financially settled forward transactions, at each settlement date the Company receives the difference between the forward price and the market price if the market price is below the forward price and the Company pays the difference between the forward price and the market price if the market price is above the forward price. These financially settled forward contracts are settled in cash at maturity and do not require physical delivery of metal at settlement. The Company typically has used financially settled forward contracts with third parties to reduce its exposure to price risk on metal it is obligated to deliver under long-term sales agreements.

MINE PRODUCTION

The Company had no outstanding derivative contracts pertaining to its mined production during the three- month periods ended March 31, 2013 and 2012.

PGM RECYCLING

The Company customarily enters into fixed forward sales relating to PGM recycling of catalyst materials. The metals from PGM recycled materials are typically sold forward at the time of purchase and delivered against the fixed forward contracts when the ounces are recovered. All of these fixed forward sales contracts open at March 31, 2013, will settle at various periods through August 2013. The Company has credit agreements with its major trading partners that provide for margin deposits in the event that forward prices for metals exceed the Company’s hedged prices by a predetermined margin limit. As of March 31, 2013, no such margin deposits were outstanding or due.

Occasionally, the Company also has entered into financially settled forward contracts on its recycled materials. Such contracts are utilized when the Company wishes to establish a firm forward price for recycled metal on a specific future date. No financially settled forward contracts were entered into during the three- month periods ended March 31, 2013 and 2012. The Company generally has not designated these contracts as cash flow hedges, so they are marked to market at the end of each accounting period. The change in the fair value of the derivatives is reflected in the Company's Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income.

The following is a summary of the Company’s obligations to deliver metal under commodity derivatives in place as of March 31, 2013:

PGM Recycling:
Fixed Forwards
	Platinum			Palladium			Rhodium
Settlement Period	Ounces	Average Price		Ounces	Average Price		Ounces	Average Price
Second Quarter 2013	38,733	$	1,631	62,281	$	740	10,871	$	1,164
Third Quarter 2013	1,906	$	1,589	3,480	$	754	1,398	$	1,215