Item 3. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK

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Item 3. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK

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

Interest Rate Risk

We have exposure to market risk for changes in interest rates relating to our cash and cash equivalents, short-term and long-term restricted cash and cash equivalents, short-term and long-term investments and indebtedness. As of March 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021, our cash and cash equivalents and short-term and long-term restricted cash and cash equivalents were $2.1 billion and $2.0 billion, respectively, of which $251 million and $276 million, respectively, were denominated in pounds sterling, euros or Canadian dollars, and the remaining amounts are denominated in U.S. dollars. We do not use our investment portfolio for trading or other speculative purposes. A hypothetical 50% decrease in short-term interest rates would decrease our annual pre-tax earnings by an immaterial amount as of March 31, 2022, assuming no change in the amount or composition of our cash and cash equivalents and short-term and long-term restricted cash and cash equivalents.

As of March 31, 2022, we had $14.2 billion in outstanding debt, of which $12.9 billion relates to our senior notes. The remaining amount outstanding relates to $1.3 billion outstanding under our Commercial Paper Program, which bears interest at fluctuating rates, and $9 million under lines of credit at our ICE India subsidiaries. A hypothetical 100 basis point increase in short-term interest rates relating to the amounts under our Commercial Paper Program as of March 31, 2022 would decrease annual pre-tax earnings by $13 million, assuming no change in the volume or composition of our outstanding indebtedness and no hedging activity. See Part I, Item 2 "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial

Condition and Results of Operations - Debt" and Note 8 to our consolidated financial statements included in this Quarterly Report.

The interest rates on our Commercial Paper Program are currently evaluated based upon current maturities and market conditions. The weighted average interest rate on our Commercial Paper Program increased from 0.33% as of December 31, 2021 to 0.99% as of March 31, 2022. The effective interest rate of commercial paper issuances will continue to fluctuate based on the movement in short-term interest rates along with shifts in supply and demand within the commercial paper market.

Foreign Currency Exchange Rate Risk

As an international business, we are subject to foreign currency exchange rate risk. We may experience gains or losses from foreign currency transactions in the future given that a significant part of our assets and liabilities are recorded in pounds sterling, Canadian dollars or euros, and a significant portion of our revenues and expenses are recorded in pounds sterling or euros. Certain assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses of foreign subsidiaries are denominated in the local functional currency of such subsidiaries. Our exposure to foreign denominated earnings for the three months ended March 31, 2022 and 2021 is presented by primary foreign currency in the following table (dollars in millions, except exchange rates):

Three Months Ended March 31, 2022Three Months Ended March 31, 2021
Pound SterlingEuroPound SterlingEuro
Average exchange rate to the U.S. dollar in the current year period1.34241.12291.37921.2060
Average exchange rate to the U.S. dollar in the same period in the prior year1.37921.20601.27941.1025
Average exchange rate increase (decrease)(3)%(7)%8%9%
Foreign denominated percentage of:
Revenues, less transaction-based expenses8%7%7%6%
Operating expenses8%2%8%2%
Operating income7%12%6%9%
Impact of the currency fluctuations (1) on:
Revenues, less transaction-based expenses$(4)$(10)$9$9
Operating expenses$(2)$(1)$5$2
Operating income$(2)$(9)$4$7

(1) Represents the impact of currency fluctuation for the three months ended March 31, 2022 and 2021 compared to the same periods in the prior year.

We have a significant part of our assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses recorded in pounds sterling or euros. During the three months ended March 31, 2022 and 2021, 15% and 13%, respectively, of our consolidated revenues, less transaction-based expenses were denominated in pounds sterling or euros and for both the three months ended March 31, 2022 and 2021, 10% of our consolidated operating expenses were denominated in pounds sterling or euros. As the pound sterling or euro exchange rate changes, the U.S. equivalent of revenues and expenses denominated in foreign currencies changes accordingly.

Foreign currency transaction risk related to the settlement of foreign currency denominated assets, liabilities and payables occurs through our operations, which are received in or paid in pounds sterling, Canadian dollars, or euros, due to the increase or decrease in the foreign currency exchange rates between periods. We incurred foreign currency transaction losses of $5 million and $6 million for the three months ended March 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively, inclusive of the impact of foreign currency hedging transactions. The foreign currency transaction losses were primarily attributable to the fluctuations of the pound sterling and euro relative to the U.S. dollar. A 10% adverse change in the underlying foreign currency exchange rates as of March 31, 2022, assuming no change in the composition of the foreign currency denominated assets, liabilities and payables and assuming no hedging activity, would result in a foreign currency loss of $15 million.

We entered into foreign currency hedging transactions during the three months ended March 31, 2022 and 2021 as economic hedges to help mitigate a portion of our foreign exchange risk exposure and may enter into additional hedging transactions in the future to help mitigate our foreign exchange risk exposure. Although we may enter into additional

hedging transactions in the future, these hedging arrangements may not be effective, particularly in the event of imprecise forecasts of the levels of our non-U.S. denominated assets and liabilities.

We have foreign currency translation risk equal to our net investment in our foreign subsidiaries. The financial statements of these subsidiaries are translated into U.S. dollars using a current rate of exchange, with gains or losses included in the cumulative translation adjustment account, a component of equity. Our exposure to the net investment in foreign currencies is presented by primary foreign currencies in the table below (in millions):

As of March 31, 2022
Position in pounds sterlingPosition in Canadian dollarsPosition in euros
Assets£709$2,694€181
of which goodwill represents56139792
Liabilities832,26765
Net currency position£626$427€116
Net currency position, in $USD$822$341$129
Negative impact on consolidated equity of a 10% decrease in foreign currency exchange rates$82$34$13

Foreign currency translation adjustments are included as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income/(loss) within our balance sheet. See the table below for the portion of equity attributable to foreign currency translation adjustments as well as the activity for the three months ended March 31, 2022 included within our statement of other comprehensive income. The impact of the foreign currency exchange rate differences in the table below were primarily driven by fluctuations of the pound sterling as compared to the U.S. dollar which were 1.3141 and 1.3524 as of March 31, 2022, and December 31, 2021, respectively, and by fluctuations of the euro as compared to the U.S. dollar which were 1.1067 and 1.1372 as of March 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021, respectively.

Changes in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss from Foreign Currency Translation Adjustments (in millions)
Balance, as of December 31, 2021$(150)
Net current period other comprehensive loss(25)
Balance, as of March 31, 2022$(175)

The future impact on our business relating to the U.K. leaving the EU and the corresponding regulatory changes are uncertain at this time, including future impacts on currency exchange rates.

Credit Risk

We are exposed to credit risk in our operations in the event of a counterparty default. We limit our exposure to credit risk by rigorously selecting the counterparties with which we make our investments, monitoring them on an ongoing basis and executing agreements to protect our interests.

Clearing House Cash Deposit Risks

The ICE Clearing Houses hold material amounts of clearing member margin deposits which are held or invested primarily to provide security of capital while minimizing credit, market and liquidity risks. Refer to Note 12 to our consolidated financial statements for more information on the ICE Clearing Houses' cash and cash equivalent margin deposits and guaranty funds, invested deposits, delivery contracts receivable and unsettled variation margin which were $164.9 billion as of March 31, 2022. While we seek to achieve a reasonable rate of return which may generate interest income for our clearing members, we are primarily concerned with preservation of capital and managing the risks associated with these deposits. As the ICE Clearing Houses may pass on interest revenues (minus costs) to the clearing members, this could include negative or reduced yield due to market conditions. For a summary of the risks associated with these deposits and how these risks are mitigated, see Part II, Item 7(A) “Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk” in our 2021 Form 10-K.

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