Item 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK

Interest Rate Risk

We are exposed to interest rate risk relating to our investments and outstanding debt. In addition, adverse economic conditions and events (including volatility or distress in the equity and/or debt or credit markets) may impact regional and global financial markets. These events and conditions could cause us to write down our assets or investments. We seek to reduce earnings volatility that may result from adverse economic conditions and events or changes in interest rates.

The primary objective of our investments is to preserve principal while at the same time improving yields without significantly increasing risk. To achieve this objective, we maintain our cash equivalents and short-term and long-term investments in a variety of asset types, including bank deposits, government bonds and corporate debt securities. As of December 31, 2020, approximately 31% of our total cash and investments was held in cash and cash equivalents. As such, changes in interest rates will impact interest income. As discussed below, the fair market values of our fixed rate securities may be adversely affected due to a rise in interest rates, and we may suffer losses in principal if we are forced to sell securities that have declined in market value due to changes in interest rates.

As of December 31, 2020, the balance of our corporate debt securities was $2.5 billion, which represented approximately 55% of our total cash and investments. Investments in both fixed-rate and floating-rate interest-earning instruments carry varying degrees of interest rate risk. The fair market value of our fixed-rate investment securities may be adversely impacted due to a rise in interest rates. In general, fixed-rate securities with longer maturities are subject to greater interest rate risk than those with shorter maturities. While floating rate securities generally are subject to less interest rate risk than fixed-rate securities, floating-rate securities may produce less income than expected if interest rates decrease and may also suffer a decline in market value if interest rates increase. Due in part to these factors, our investment income may fall short of expectations or we may suffer losses in principal if we sell securities that have declined in market value due to changes in interest rates. A hypothetical 100 basis point increase in interest rates would have resulted in a decrease in the fair value of our investments of $5 million and $8 million as of December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively.

As of December 31, 2020, we had an aggregate principal amount of $7.8 billion of outstanding senior notes, of which 95% bore interest at fixed rates. In 2014, we entered into $2.4 billion of interest rate swap agreements that had an economic effect of modifying the fixed interest obligations associated with $1.15 billion of our 2.200% senior notes due July 2019, $750 million of our 2.875% senior notes due July 2021, and $500 million of our 3.450% senior notes due July 2024 so that the interest payable on those notes effectively became variable based on LIBOR plus a spread. In July 2019, $1.15 billion of the $2.4 billion aggregate notional amount matured and we terminated the interest rate swaps related to $750 million of our 2.875% senior notes due July 2021 and $500 million of our 3.450% senior notes due July 2024, which were designated as fair value hedges. As a result of the early termination, hedge accounting was discontinued prospectively and the gain on termination was recorded as an increase to the long-term debt balance and is being recognized over the remaining life of the underlying debt as a reduction to interest expense. The gain recognized was immaterial for the years ended December 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019, respectively.

During 2020, we began to hedge the variability of the cash flows in interest payments associated with our floating-rate debt using interest rate swaps. These interest rate swap agreements effectively convert our LIBOR-based floating-rate debt to a fixed-rate basis, reducing the impact of interest-rate changes on future interest expense. The total notional amount of these interest swaps was $400 million as of December 31, 2020 with terms calling for us to receive interest at a variable rate and to pay interest at a fixed rate. Our interest rate swap contracts have maturity dates in 2023. At December 31, 2020, we did not have an unhedged balance on our floating-rate debt.

During 2020, we began to hedge the variability of forecasted interest payments using forward-starting interest rate swaps. The notional amount of these swaps was $700 million as of December 31, 2020, with terms calling for us to receive interest at a variable rate and to pay interest at a fixed rate. These interest rate swaps effectively fix the benchmark interest rate on anticipated debt issuance in 2022, and they will be terminated upon issuance of the debt. When entering into forward-starting interest rate swaps, we are subject to market risk with respect to changes in the underlying benchmark interest rate that impacts the fair value of the forward-starting interest rate swaps. We manage market risk by matching the terms of the swaps with the terms of the expected debt issuance. We considered the historical volatility of short-term interest rates and determined that it was reasonably possible that an adverse change of 100 basis points could be experienced in the near term. A hypothetical 1% (100 basis points) decrease in interest rates would have resulted in a decrease in the fair values of our forward-starting and floating to fixed rate interest swaps of approximately $61 million at December 31, 2020.

Further changes in interest rates will impact interest expense on any borrowings under our revolving credit facility, which bear interest at floating rates, and the interest rate on any commercial paper borrowings we make and any debt securities we may issue in the future and, accordingly, will impact interest expense. For additional details related to our debt, see “Note 11 – Debt” to the consolidated financial statements included in this report.

Equity Price Risk

Equity Investments

Our equity investments are primarily investments in privately-held companies. Our consolidated results of operations include, as a component of interest and other, net, our share of the net income or loss of the equity investments accounted for under the equity method of accounting. Equity investments without readily determinable fair values are accounted for at cost, less impairment and adjusted for subsequent observable price changes obtained from orderly transactions for identical or similar investments issued by the same investee. Such changes in the basis of the equity investment are recognized in interest and other, net. As of December 31, 2020, our equity investments totaled $547 million, which represented approximately 12% of our total cash and investments, and were primarily related to equity investments without readily determinable fair values.

Warrant

We entered into a warrant agreement in conjunction with a commercial agreement with Adyen that, subject to meeting certain conditions, entitles us to acquire a fixed number of shares up to 5% of Adyen’s fully diluted issued and outstanding share capital at a specific date. The warrant is accounted for as a derivative instrument under ASC Topic 815, Derivatives and Hedging. Changes in Adyen’s common stock price and equity volatility may have a significant impact on the value of the warrant. As of December 31, 2020, a one dollar change in Adyen’s common stock, holding other factors constant, would increase or decrease the fair value of the warrant by approximately $1 million. For additional details related to the warrant, please see “Note 8 – Derivative Instruments” to our consolidated financial statements included in this report.

Foreign Currency Risk

Our commerce platforms operate globally, resulting in certain revenues and costs that are denominated in foreign currencies, primarily the British pound, euro, Korean won and Australian dollar, subjecting us to foreign currency risk, which may adversely impact our financial results. We transact business in various foreign currencies and have significant international revenues as well as costs. In addition, we charge our international subsidiaries for their use of intellectual property and technology and for certain corporate services we provide. Our cash flow, results of operations and certain of our intercompany balances that are exposed to foreign exchange rate fluctuations may differ materially from expectations and we may record significant gains or losses due to foreign currency fluctuations and related hedging activities.

We have a foreign exchange exposure management program designed to identify material foreign currency exposures, manage these exposures and reduce the potential effects of currency fluctuations on our reported consolidated cash flows and results of operations through the purchase of foreign currency exchange contracts. The effectiveness of the program and resulting usage of foreign exchange derivative contracts is at times limited by our ability to achieve cash flow hedge accounting. For additional details related to our derivative instruments, please see “Note 8 – Derivative Instruments” to our consolidated financial statements included in this report.

We use foreign exchange derivative contracts to help protect our forecasted U.S. dollar-equivalent earnings from adverse changes in foreign currency exchange rates. These hedging contracts reduce, but do not entirely eliminate, the impact of adverse currency exchange rate movements. Most of these contracts are designated as cash flow hedges for accounting purposes. For qualifying cash flow hedges, the derivative’s gain or loss is initially reported as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income (“AOCI”) and subsequently reclassified into earnings in the same period the forecasted transaction affects earnings. For contracts not designated as cash flow hedges for accounting purposes, the derivative’s gain or loss is recognized immediately in earnings in our consolidated statement of income. However, only certain revenue and costs are eligible for cash flow hedge accounting.

The following table illustrates the fair values of outstanding foreign exchange contracts designated as cash flow hedges and net investment hedges, and the before-tax effect on fair values of a hypothetical adverse change in the foreign exchange rates that existed as of December 31, 2020. The sensitivity for foreign currency contracts is based on a 20% adverse change in foreign exchange rates, against relevant functional currencies.

Since our risk management programs are highly effective, the potential loss in value described above would be largely offset by changes in the value of the underlying exposure.

We also use foreign exchange contracts to offset the foreign exchange risk on our assets and liabilities denominated in currencies other than the functional currency of our subsidiaries. These contracts reduce, but do not entirely eliminate, the impact of currency exchange rate movements on our assets and liabilities. The foreign currency gains and losses on the assets and liabilities are recorded in interest and other, net, which are offset by the gains and losses on the foreign exchange contracts.

We considered the historical trends in currency exchange rates and determined that it was reasonably possible that adverse changes in exchange rates of 20% for all currencies could be experienced in the near term. These changes would have resulted in an adverse impact on income before income taxes of approximately $52 million as of December 31, 2020 taking into consideration the offsetting effect of foreign exchange forwards in place as of December 31, 2020.

ITEM 8: FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA

The consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes listed in Part IV, Item 15(a)(1) of this Annual Report on Form 10-K are included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.