Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk

Market risk is the sensitivity of income to changes in interest rates, commodity prices, and foreign currency changes. Zebra is exposed to the following types of market risk: interest rates and foreign currency.

Interest Rate Risk

We are exposed to interest rate volatility with regard to existing debt issuances. Primary exposures include LIBOR rates. From time to time, we use interest rate derivative contracts including interest rate swaps to hedge our exposure to the impact of interest rate changes on existing debt and future debt issuances to reduce the volatility of our financing costs and, based on current and projected market conditions, achieve a desired proportion of fixed versus floating-rate debt. Generally, under these swaps, we agree with a counterparty to exchange floating-rate for fixed-rate interest amounts with an agreed upon notional principal amount.

As of December 31, 2017, we had $2.2 billion of debt outstanding under our debt facilities, which bears interest determined by reference to a variable rate index. A one percentage point increase or decrease in interest rates on the various debt instruments we hold would increase or decrease the annual interest expense we recognize and the cash we pay for interest expense by approximately $22 million. This amount excludes the impact of any associated derivative contracts. To mitigate this risk, we entered into forward interest rate swaps to hedge the interest rate risk associated with the variable interest payments on our debt facilities. Refer to Note 7, Derivative Instruments in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in this Form 10-K for further discussion of hedging activities.

Foreign Exchange Risk

We provide products and services in over 180 countries throughout the world and, therefore, at times are exposed to risk based on movements in foreign exchange rates. On occasion, we invoice customers in their local currency and have a resulting foreign currency denominated revenue transaction and accounts receivable. We also purchase certain raw materials and other items in foreign currencies. We manage these risks using derivative financial instruments. See Note 7, Derivative Instruments in the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements included in this Form 10-K for further discussions of hedging activities.

We are exposed to fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates, primarily with respect to the Euro, British Pound Sterling, Czech koruna, Brazilian real, Canadian dollar, Australian dollar, Singapore dollar, Japanese yen, and Swedish krona. In general, we are a net receiver of foreign currencies and therefore benefit from a weakening of the U.S. dollar and are adversely affected by a strengthening of the U.S. dollar. A 1% increase or decrease in exchange rates relative to the U.S. dollar would increase or decrease our pre-tax income by approximately $2 million. This amount excludes the impact of any associated derivative contracts, which would largely offset this foreign exchange exposure. We enter into foreign currency forward contracts to hedge against the effect of exchange rate fluctuations on the Consolidated Balance Sheets of certain entities with exposures denominated in foreign currencies. These transactions are typically three months in maturity and are not designated as hedges.