Item 3. Quantitative And Qualitative Disclosures About
14K characters. Original on sec.gov ·
Item 3. Quantitative And Qualitative Disclosures About
Market Risk
As a result of our operating, investing and financing
activities, we are exposed to market risks such as interest rate
risk and foreign currency exchange rate risk. We are also
exposed to credit risk as a result of our normal business
activities.
We have implemented policies and procedures to measure,
manage, monitor and report risk exposures, which are
reviewed regularly by management and the board of
directors. We identify risk exposures and monitor and
manage such risks on a daily basis.
We perform sensitivity analyses to determine the effects of
market risk exposures. We may use derivative instruments
solely to hedge financial risks related to our financial
positions or risks that are incurred during the normal course
of business. We do not use derivative instruments for
speculative purposes.
Interest Rate Risk
We are subject to the risk of fluctuating interest rates in the
normal course of business. Our exposure to market risk for
changes in interest rates relates primarily to our financial
investments and debt obligations, which are discussed below.
All of our outstanding debt obligations are fixed-rate
obligations. We may enter into transactions that expose us to
interest rate risk, for which we may utilize interest rate
derivatives agreements to manage that risk.
Financial Investments
As of March 31, 2026, our investment portfolio was
primarily comprised of highly rated European government
debt securities, which pay a fixed rate of interest. These
securities are subject to interest rate risk and the fair value of
these securities will decrease if market interest rates increase.
The impact of an immediate increase to market interest rates,
uniformly, by a hypothetical 100 basis points from levels as
of March 31, 2026, would not have a material impact on our
financial statements.
Debt Obligations
As of March 31, 2026, all of our outstanding debt obligations
are fixed-rate obligations. Interest rates on certain tranches of
notes are subject to adjustment to the extent our debt rating is
downgraded below investment grade, as further discussed in
Note 8, “Debt Obligations,” to the condensed consolidated
financial statements. While changes in interest rates will have
no impact on the interest we pay on fixed-rate obligations, we
are exposed to changes in interest rates as a result of the
borrowings under our 2022 Revolving Credit Facility, as this
facility has a variable interest rate. We may also be exposed
to changes in interest rates if there are amounts outstanding
from the sale of commercial paper under our commercial
paper program, which have variable interest rates. As of
March 31, 2026, there were no outstanding borrowings under
our 2022 Revolving Credit Facility or commercial paper
program.
Foreign Currency Exchange Rate Risk
We are subject to foreign currency exchange rate risk. Our
primary transactional exposure to foreign currency
denominated revenues less transaction-based expenses and
operating income for the three months ended March 31, 2026
is presented in the following table. The table below does not
include the offsetting impact of our hedging programs.
| Euro | Swedish Krona | Canadian Dollar | Other Foreign Currencies | U.S. Dollar | |
| (in millions, except currency rate) | |||||
| Three Months Ended March 31, 2026 | |||||
| Average FX rate to the U.S. dollar | 1.171 | 0.110 | 0.729 | # | N/A |
| Percentage of revenues less transaction- based expenses | 7.2% | 3.7% | 0.7% | 3.9% | 84.5% |
| Percentage of operating income | 9.2% | (1.5)% | (5.5)% | (6.3)% | 104.1% |
| Impact of a 10% adverse currency fluctuation on revenues less transaction- based expenses | $(10) | $(5) | $(1) | $(5) | $— |
| Impact of a 10% adverse currency fluctuation on operating income | $(6) | $(1) | $(4) | $(4) | $— |
__________
#Represents multiple foreign currency rates.
N/ANot applicable.
The adverse impacts shown in the table above should be
viewed individually by currency and not in aggregate, due to
the correlation between changes in exchange rates for certain
currencies.
We may use foreign exchange contracts to hedge a portion of
our forecasted foreign currency denominated revenues and
expenses in the normal course of business. We hedge these
cash flow exposures to reduce the risk that our earnings and
cash flows will be adversely affected by changes in exchange
rates. These foreign exchange contracts are carried at fair
value, with maturities that can range up to 18 months. We
record changes in fair value of these cash flow hedges of
foreign currency denominated revenue and expenses in
accumulated other comprehensive loss in the Condensed
Consolidated Balance Sheets, until the forecasted transaction
occurs. When the forecasted transaction affects earnings, or
in the event the underlying forecasted transaction does not
occur, or it becomes probable that it will not occur, we
reclassify the related gain or loss on the cash flow hedge to
revenue or operating expenses, as applicable. As of March
31, 2026, the fair value of our derivatives designated as cash
flow hedging instruments are not material.
Our investments in foreign subsidiaries are exposed to
volatility in currency exchange rates through translation of
the foreign subsidiaries’ net assets or equity to U.S. dollars.
Substantially all of our foreign subsidiaries operate in
functional currencies other than the U.S. dollar. The financial
statements of these subsidiaries are translated into U.S.
dollars for consolidated reporting using a current rate of
exchange, with net gains or losses recorded in accumulated
other comprehensive loss in the Condensed Consolidated
Balance Sheets.
Our primary exposure to net assets in foreign currencies as of
March 31, 2026 is presented in the following table:
| Net Assets | Impact of a 10% Adverse Currency Fluctuation | |||
| (in millions) | ||||
| Swedish Krona | $3,301 | $(330) | ||
| Norwegian Krone | 218 | (22) | ||
| Canadian Dollar | 140 | (14) | ||
| Australian Dollar | 89 | (9) | ||
| British Pound | 84 | (8) |
In the table above, Swedish Krona includes goodwill of
$2,419 million and intangible assets, net of $493 million.
Our Euro Notes have been designated as a hedge of our net
investment in certain foreign subsidiaries to mitigate the
foreign exchange risk associated with certain investments in
these subsidiaries. Accordingly, the remeasurement of these
notes is recorded in accumulated other comprehensive loss in
the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets. See Note 8,
“Debt Obligations,” to the condensed consolidated financial
statements for further discussion. We enter into foreign
exchange contracts to hedge a portion of our net investment
in certain foreign subsidiaries. These foreign exchange
contracts are carried at fair value, with maturities ranging up
to eight years, and reported as either an asset or liability
depending on their position as of the balance sheet date, and
accumulated other comprehensive loss in the Condensed
Consolidated Balance Sheets. The accumulated gains and
losses associated with these instruments will remain in
accumulated other comprehensive loss until the foreign
subsidiaries are sold or substantially liquidated, at which
point they will be reclassified into earnings.
Credit Risk
Credit risk is the potential loss due to the default or
deterioration in credit quality of customers or counterparties.
We are exposed to credit risk from third parties, including
customers, counterparties and clearing agents. These parties
may default on their obligations to us due to bankruptcy, lack
of liquidity, operational failure or other reasons. We limit our
exposure to credit risk by evaluating the counterparties with
which we make investments and execute agreements. For our
investment portfolio, our objective is to invest in securities to
preserve principal while maximizing yields, without
significantly increasing risk. Credit risk associated with
investments is minimized substantially by ensuring that these
financial assets are placed with governments which have
investment grade ratings, well-capitalized financial
institutions and other creditworthy counterparties.
Our subsidiary, Nasdaq Execution Services, may be exposed
to credit risk due to the default of trading counterparties in
connection with the routing services it provides for our
trading customers. System trades in cash equities routed to
other market centers for members of our cash equity
exchanges are routed by Nasdaq Execution Services for
clearing to the NSCC. In this function, Nasdaq Execution
Services is to be neutral by the end of the trading day, but
may be exposed to intraday risk if a trade extends beyond the
trading day and into the next day, thereby leaving Nasdaq
Execution Services susceptible to counterparty risk in the
period between accepting the trade and routing it to the
clearinghouse. In this interim period, Nasdaq Execution
Services is not novating like a clearing broker but instead is
subject to the short-term risk of counterparty failure before
the clearinghouse enters the transaction. Once the
clearinghouse officially accepts the trade for novation,
Nasdaq Execution Services is legally removed from trade
execution risk. However, Nasdaq has membership
obligations to NSCC independent of Nasdaq Execution
Services’ arrangements.
Pursuant to the rules of the NSCC and Nasdaq Execution
Services’ clearing agreement, Nasdaq Execution Services is
liable for any losses incurred due to a counterparty or a
clearing agent’s failure to satisfy its contractual obligations,
either by making payment or delivering securities. Adverse
movements in the prices of securities that are subject to these
transactions can increase our credit risk. However, we believe
that the risk of material loss is limited, as Nasdaq Execution
Services’ customers are not permitted to trade on margin and
NSCC rules limit counterparty risk on self-cleared
transactions by establishing credit limits and capital deposit
requirements for all brokers that clear with NSCC.
Historically, Nasdaq Execution Services has never incurred a
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
visible market participants could also result in market-wide
credit difficulties or other market disruptions.
We have credit risk related to transaction and subscription-
based revenues that are billed to customers on a monthly or
quarterly basis, in arrears. Our potential exposure to credit
losses on these transactions is represented by the receivable
balances in the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets. 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.
We also are exposed to credit risk through our clearing
operations with Nasdaq Clearing. See Note 14, “Clearing
Operations,” to the condensed consolidated financial
statements for further discussion. Our clearinghouse holds
material amounts of clearing member cash deposits, which
are held or invested primarily to provide security of capital
while minimizing credit, market and liquidity risks. While we
seek to achieve a reasonable rate of return, we are primarily
concerned with preservation of capital and managing the
risks associated with these deposits. As the clearinghouse
may remit to the members interest earned at prevailing
market rates, less a spread, this could include negative or
reduced yield due to market conditions. The following is a
summary of the risks associated with these deposits and how
these risks are mitigated.
*•*Credit Risk: When the clearinghouse has the ability to hold
cash collateral at a central bank, the clearinghouse utilizes
its access to the central bank system to minimize credit risk
exposures. When funds are not held at a central bank, we
seek to substantially mitigate credit risk by ensuring that
investments are primarily placed in large, highly rated
financial institutions, highly rated government debt
instruments and other creditworthy counterparties.
*•*Liquidity Risk: Liquidity risk is the risk a clearinghouse
may not be able to meet its payment obligations in the right
currency, in the right place and the right time. To mitigate
this risk, the clearinghouse monitors liquidity requirements
closely and maintains funds and assets in a manner which
minimizes the risk of loss or delay in the access by the
clearinghouse to such funds and assets. For example,
holding funds with a central bank where possible or
investing in highly liquid government debt instruments
serves to reduce liquidity risks.
*•*Interest Rate Risk: Interest rate risk is the risk that interest
rates rise causing the value of purchased securities to
decline. If we were required to sell securities prior to
maturity, and interest rates had risen, the sale of the
securities might be made at a loss relative to the latest
market price. Our clearinghouse seeks to manage this risk
by making short-term investments of members’ cash
deposits. In addition, the clearinghouse investment
guidelines allow for direct purchases or repurchase
agreements with short dated maturities of high quality
sovereign debt (for example, European government and
U.S. Treasury securities), central bank certificates and
multilateral development bank debt instruments.
*•*Security Issuer Risk: Security issuer risk is the risk that an
issuer of a security defaults on its payment when the
security matures. This risk is mitigated by limiting
allowable investments and collateral under reverse
repurchase agreements to high quality sovereign,
government agency or multilateral development bank debt
instruments.
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