Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk

As a result of our operating activities, we are exposed to market risks such as foreign currency exchange rate risk, equity risk, credit risk, and interest rate risk. We have implemented policies and procedures to measure, manage and monitor and report risk exposures, which are reviewed regularly by management and our board of directors.

Foreign Currency Exchange Rate Risk

Our operations in Europe and Asia are subject to increased currency translation risk as revenues and expenses are denominated in foreign currencies, primarily the British pound, Singapore dollar, Hong Kong dollar, and the Euro. We also have de minimis exposure to other foreign currencies, including the Swiss Franc, Norwegian Kroner, Swedish Krona and Danish Kroner.

For the year ended December 31, 2019, our exposure to foreign-denominated revenues and expenses is presented by primary foreign currency in the following table:

Equity Risk

Our investment in European operations is exposed to volatility in currency exchange rates through translation of our net assets or equity to U.S. dollars. The assets and liabilities of our European business are denominated in British pounds or Euros. Fluctuations in currency exchange rates may create volatility in our reported results as we are required to translate foreign currency reported statements of financial condition and operational results into U.S. dollars for consolidated reporting. The translation of these non-U.S. dollar statements of financial condition into U.S. dollars for consolidated reporting results in a cumulative translation adjustment, which is recorded in accumulated other comprehensive loss (income) within stockholders' equity on our consolidated balance sheet.

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Our primary exposure to this equity risk as of December 31, 2019 is presented by foreign currency in the following table:

Credit Risk

We are exposed to credit risk from third parties, including customers, counterparties and clearing agents. These parties may default on their obligations due to bankruptcy, lack of liquidity, operational failure or other reasons. We limit our exposure to credit risk by considering such risk when selecting the counterparties with which we make investments and execute agreements.

We do not have counterparty credit risk with respect to trades matched on our exchanges in the U.S. and Europe. With respect to listed equities, we deliver matched trades of our customers to the NSCC without taking on counterparty risk for those trades. NSCC acts as a central counterparty on all equity transactions occurring on BZX, BYX, EDGX and EDGA and, as such, guarantees clearance and settlement of all of our matched equity trades. Similarly, with respect to U.S. listed equity options and futures, we deliver matched trades of our customers to the OCC, which acts as a central counterparty on all transactions occurring on Cboe Options, C2, BZX, EDGX and CFE and, as such, guarantees clearance and settlement of all of our matched options and futures trades.

With respect to orders Cboe Trading routes to other markets for execution on behalf of our customers, Cboe Trading is exposed to some counterparty credit risk in the case of failure to perform on the part of our clearing firms, Morgan Stanley or Wedbush. Morgan Stanley and Wedbush guarantee trades until one day after the trade date, after which time NSCC provides a guarantee. Thus, Cboe Trading is potentially exposed to credit risk to the counterparty to a trade routed to another market center between the trade date and one day after the trade date in the event that Morgan Stanley or Wedbush fails. We believe that any potential requirement for us to make payments under these guarantees is remote and accordingly, have not recorded any liability in the consolidated financial statements for these guarantees.

Historically, we have not incurred any liability due to a customer’s failure to satisfy its contractual obligations as counterparty to a system trade. Credit difficulties or insolvency, or the perceived possibility of credit difficulties or insolvency, of one or more larger or more visible market participants could also result in market-wide credit difficulties or other market disruptions.

We do not have counterparty credit risk with respect to institutional spot FX trades occurring on our platform because Cboe FX is not a counterparty to any FX transactions. All transactions occurring on our platform occur bilaterally between two banks or prime brokers as counterparties to the trade. While Cboe FX does not have direct counterparty risk, Cboe FX may suffer a decrease in transaction volume if a bank or prime broker experiences an event that causes other prime brokers to decrease or revoke the credit available to the prime broker experiencing the event. Therefore, Cboe FX may have risk that is related to the credit of the banks and prime brokers that trade FX on the Cboe FX platform.

We also have credit risk related to transaction fees that are billed in arrears to customers on a monthly basis. Our potential exposure to credit losses on these transactions is represented by the receivable balances in our balance sheet. Our customers are financial institutions whose ability to satisfy their contractual obligations may be impacted by volatile securities markets.

On a regular basis, we review and evaluate changes in the status of our counterparties’ creditworthiness. Credit losses such as those described above could adversely affect our consolidated financial position and results of operations. Any such effects to date have been minimal.

Interest Rate Risk

We have exposure to market risk for changes in interest rates relating to our cash and cash equivalents, financial investments, and indebtedness. As of December 31, 2019 and 2018, our cash and cash equivalents and financial investments were $300.3 million and $310.8 million, respectively, of which $85.1 million and $72.9 million is held outside of the United States in various foreign subsidiaries in 2019 and 2018, respectively. The remaining cash and cash equivalents and financial investments are denominated in U.S. dollars. We do not use our investment portfolio for trading or other speculative purposes. Due to the nature of these investments, we have not been exposed to, nor do we

anticipate being exposed to, material risks due to changes in interest rates, assuming no change in the amount or composition of our cash and cash equivalents and financial investments.

As of December 31, 2019, we had $875.0 million in outstanding debt, of which $650.0 million relates to our Senior Notes, which bear interest at fixed interest rates. Changes in interest rates will have no impact on the interest we pay on fixed-rate obligations. The remaining amount outstanding of $225.0 million relates to the Term Loan Agreement, which bears interest at fluctuating rates and, therefore, subjects us to interest rate risk. A hypothetical 100 basis point increase in interest rates relating to the amounts outstanding under the Term Loan Agreement as of December 31, 2019 would decrease annual pre-tax earnings by $2.3 million, assuming no change in the composition of our outstanding indebtedness. We are also exposed to changes in interest rates as a result of borrowings under our Revolving Credit Agreement, as this facility bears interest at fluctuating rates. As of December 31, 2019, there were no outstanding borrowings under our Revolving Credit Agreement. See Note 13 (“Debt”) to the consolidated financial statements for a discussion of debt agreements.

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