Item 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK

The company is exposed to risk that its earnings, cash flows and equity could be adversely impacted by changes in foreign exchange rates and interest rates. Certain derivative instruments are used when available on a cost-effective basis to hedge the company's underlying economic exposures. See Note 10 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information regarding the company's financial instruments and hedging strategies.

Foreign Currency Risk

AbbVie's primary net foreign currency exposures are the Euro, Japanese yen and British pound. The following table reflects the total foreign currency forward exchange contracts outstanding at December 31, 2017 and 2016:

The company estimates that a 10% appreciation in the underlying currencies being hedged from their levels against the U.S. dollar, with all other variables held constant, would decrease the fair value of foreign exchange forward contracts by $1.0 billion at December 31, 2017. If realized, this appreciation would negatively affect earnings over the remaining life of the contracts. However, gains and losses on the hedging instruments offset losses and gains on the hedged transactions and reduce the earnings and stockholders' equity volatility relating to foreign exchange. A 10% appreciation is believed to be a reasonably possible near-term change in foreign currencies.

In November 2016, the company issued €3.6 billion aggregate principal amount of unsecured senior Euro notes, which are exposed to foreign currency risk. The company has designated these foreign currency denominated notes as hedges of its net investments in certain foreign subsidiaries and affiliates. As a result, any foreign currency translation gains or losses related to the Euro notes will be included in accumulated other comprehensive income. See Note 9 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information related to the senior Euro note issuance and Note 10 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information related to the net investment hedging program.

The functional currency of the company’s Venezuela operations is the U.S. dollar due to the hyperinflationary status of the Venezuelan economy. During the first quarter of 2016, in consideration of declining economic conditions in Venezuela and a decline in transactions settled at the official rate, AbbVie determined that its net monetary assets denominated in the Venezuelan bolivar (VEF) were no longer expected to be settled at the official rate of 10 VEF per U.S. dollar, but rather at the Divisa Complementaria (DICOM) rate. Therefore, during the first quarter of 2016, AbbVie recorded a charge of $298 million to net foreign exchange loss to revalue its bolivar-denominated net monetary assets using the DICOM rate then in effect of approximately 270 VEF per U.S. dollar. As of December 31, 2017, AbbVie’s net monetary assets in Venezuela were insignificant.

Interest Rate Risk

The company estimates that an increase in interest rates of 100 basis points would adversely impact the fair value of AbbVie's interest rate swap contracts by approximately $509 million at December 31, 2017. If realized, the fair value reduction would affect earnings over the remaining life of the contracts. The company estimates that an increase of 100 basis points in long-term interest rates would decrease the fair value of long-term debt by $2.2 billion at December 31, 2017. A 100 basis point change is believed to be a reasonably possible near-term change in interest rates.

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Market Price Risk

AbbVie’s debt securities investment portfolio (the portfolio) is its main exposure to market price risk. The portfolio is subject to changes in fair value as a result of interest rate fluctuations and other market factors. It is AbbVie’s policy to mitigate market price risk by maintaining a diversified portfolio that limits the amount of exposure to a particular issuer and security type while placing limits on the amount of time to maturity. AbbVie’s investment policy limits investments to investment grade credit ratings. The company estimates that an increase in interest rates of 100 basis points would decrease the fair value of the portfolio by approximately $34 million as of December 31, 2017. If the portfolio were to be liquidated, the fair value reduction would affect the income statement in the period sold.

Non-Publicly Traded Equity Securities

AbbVie holds equity securities in other pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies that are not traded on public stock exchanges. The carrying value of these investments was $48 million as of December 31, 2017 and $42 million as of December 31, 2016. AbbVie monitors these investments for other than temporary declines in market value and charges impairment losses to net earnings when an other than temporary decline in estimated value occurs. In 2017 and 2016, impairment charges recorded were insignificant. In 2015, AbbVie recorded impairment charges totaling $36 million related to certain of the company's investments in non-publicly traded equity securities.

46 | 2017 Form 10-K