Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
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Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
Market Risk
We are exposed to market risks primarily from changes in interest rates and foreign currency exchange rates. We periodically use certain derivative financial instruments, including interest rate swaps, cross-currency interest rate swaps and foreign currency forward contracts, to manage interest rate and foreign currency risk. We do not use derivatives for trading purposes, to generate income or to engage in speculative activity.
Interest Rate Risk
In addition to existing cash balances and cash provided by operating activities, we use fixed-rate and variable-rate debt to finance our operations. We are exposed to interest rate risk on these debt obligations.
Our fixed-rate senior notes (as included in Note 14 to the consolidated financial statements) represent the majority of our fixed-rate long-term debt obligations as of December 31, 2024. The carrying value, excluding the fair value basis adjustments due to interest rate swaps described below and unamortized discounts, of our senior notes was $10.7 billion as of December 31, 2024. The fair value of our senior notes was approximately $9.9 billion as of December 31, 2024. The potential reduction in fair value of the senior notes from a hypothetical 10 percent increase in market interest rates would not be material to the overall fair value of the debt.
Our variable-rate risk principally relates to borrowings under our U.S. commercial paper program, Euro-commercial paper program and Revolving Credit Facility (as included in Note 14 to the consolidated financial statements) (collectively, "variable-rate debt"). As of December 31, 2024, our weighted-average cost of debt was 2.8% with a weighted-average maturity of 6.2 years; 93% of our debt was fixed rate, and the remaining 7% was variable-rate debt, inclusive of fair value basis adjustments due to interest rate swaps. A 100 basis-point increase in the weighted-average interest rate on our variable-rate debt would have increased our 2024 annual interest expense by $8 million. We performed the foregoing sensitivity analysis based solely on the outstanding balance of our variable-rate debt as of December 31, 2024. This sensitivity analysis does not take into account any changes that occurred in the prior 12 months or that may take place in the next 12 months in the amount of our outstanding debt. Further, this sensitivity analysis assumes the change in interest rates is applicable for an entire year. For comparison purposes, based on the outstanding balance of our variable-rate debt as of December 31, 2023, and calculated in the same manner as set forth above, an increase of 100 basis points in the weighted-average interest rate would have increased our annual interest expense by approximately $49 million.
Foreign Currency Risk
We are exposed to foreign currency risks that arise from normal business operations. These risks include the translation of local currency balances of foreign subsidiaries, transaction gains and losses associated with intercompany loans with foreign subsidiaries and transactions denominated in currencies other than a location's functional currency. We manage the exposure to these risks through a combination of normal operating activities and the use of foreign currency forward contracts and non-derivative and derivative instruments.
Our exposure to foreign currency exchange risks generally arises from our non-U.S. operations, to the extent they are conducted in local currency. Changes in foreign currency exchange rates affect translations of revenue denominated in currencies other than the U.S. Dollar. During the years ended December 31, 2024, 2023 and 2022, we generated approximately $1,267 million, $1,261 million and $1,288 million, respectively, in revenue denominated in currencies other than the U.S. Dollar. The major currencies to which our revenue is exposed are the British Pound Sterling, Euro, Brazilian Real, Australian Dollar, Swedish Krona, Swiss Franc and Indian Rupee. A 10% movement in average exchange rates for these currencies (assuming a simultaneous and immediate 10% change in all of such rates for the relevant period) would have resulted in the following increase or decrease in our reported revenue for the years ended December 31, 2024, 2023 and 2022 (in millions):
| Currency | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | |||||||||||||||||
| Pound Sterling | $ | 43 | $ | 43 | $ | 42 | ||||||||||||||
| Euro | 27 | 25 | 26 | |||||||||||||||||
| Real | 12 | 14 | 15 | |||||||||||||||||
| Australian Dollar | 9 | 7 | 7 | |||||||||||||||||
| Swedish Krona | 8 | 10 | 7 | |||||||||||||||||
| Swiss Franc | 6 | 5 | 5 | |||||||||||||||||
| Indian Rupee | 5 | 6 | 9 | |||||||||||||||||
| Total increase or decrease | $ | 110 | $ | 110 | $ | 111 |
While our results of operations have been impacted by the effects of currency fluctuations, our international operations' revenue and expenses are generally denominated in local currency, which reduces our economic exposure to foreign exchange risk in those jurisdictions.
Our foreign exchange risk management policy permits the use of derivative instruments, such as forward contracts and options, to reduce volatility in our results of operations and/or cash flows resulting from foreign exchange rate fluctuations. We do not enter into foreign currency derivative instruments for trading purposes or to engage in speculative activity. We do periodically enter into foreign currency forward contracts to hedge foreign currency exposure to intercompany loans, other balance sheet items or expected foreign currency cash flows resulting from forecasted transactions. The Company also utilizes foreign currency-denominated debt and cross-currency interest rate swaps designated as net investment hedges in order to reduce the volatility of the net investment value of certain of its non-U.S. dollar functional currency subsidiaries and utilizes cross-currency interest rate swaps designated as fair value hedges in order to mitigate the impact of foreign currency risk associated with our foreign currency-denominated debt (see Note 15 to the consolidated financial statements).
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