Derivatives And Other Financial Instruments

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2011

Derivatives And Other Financial Instruments

Derivatives And Other Financial Instruments

P. Derivatives and Other Financial Instruments

Derivatives

Alcoa is exposed to certain risks relating to its ongoing business operations, including financial, market, political, and economic risks. The following discussion provides information regarding Alcoa's exposure to the risks of changing commodity prices, interest rates, and foreign currency exchange rates.

Alcoa's commodity and derivative activities are subject to the management, direction, and control of the Strategic Risk Management Committee (SRMC). The SRMC is composed of the chief executive officer, the chief financial officer, and other officers and employees that the chief executive officer selects. The SRMC reports to the Board of Directors on the scope of its activities.

The aluminum, energy, interest rate, and foreign exchange contracts are held for purposes other than trading. They are used primarily to mitigate uncertainty and volatility, and to cover underlying exposures. Alcoa is not involved in trading activities for energy, weather derivatives, or other nonexchange commodity trading activities.

The fair values of outstanding derivative contracts recorded as assets in the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheet were as follows:

Asset Derivatives	June 30, 2011		December 31, 2010
Derivatives designated as hedging instruments:
Prepaid expenses and other current assets:
Aluminum contracts	$	31	$	48
Foreign exchange contracts		2		2
Interest rate contracts		15		19
Other noncurrent assets:
Aluminum contracts		10		22
Energy contracts		27		9
Interest rate contracts		25		62
Total derivatives designated as hedging instruments	$	110	$	162

Derivatives not designated as hedging instruments*:
Prepaid expenses and other current assets:
Aluminum contracts	$	2	$	3
Other noncurrent assets:
Foreign exchange contracts		2		1
Total derivatives not designated as hedging instruments	$	4	$	4
Less margin held:
Prepaid expenses and other current assets:
Aluminum contracts	$	—	$	4
Interest rate contracts		6		13
Other noncurrent assets:
Interest rate contracts		—		2
Sub-total	$	6	$	19
Total Asset Derivatives	$	108	$	147

* See the "Other" section within Note P for additional information on Alcoa's purpose for entering into derivatives not designated as hedging instruments and its overall risk management strategies.

The fair values of outstanding derivative contracts recorded as liabilities in the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheet were as follows:

Liability Derivatives	June 30, 2011		December 31, 2010
Derivatives designated as hedging instruments:
Other current liabilities:
Aluminum contracts	$	68	$	89
Other noncurrent liabilities and deferred credits:
Aluminum contracts		723		647
Total derivatives designated as hedging instruments	$	791	$	736
Derivatives not designated as hedging instruments*:
Other current liabilities:
Aluminum contracts	$	52	$	52
Energy contracts		21		62
Other noncurrent liabilities and deferred credits:
Aluminum contracts		32		33
Embedded credit derivative		21		23
Total derivatives not designated as hedging instruments	$	126	$	170
Less margin posted:
Other current liabilities:
Aluminum contracts	$	2	$	4
Energy contracts		11		37
Sub-total	$	13	$	41
Total Liability Derivatives	$	904	$	865

* See the "Other" section within Note P for additional information on Alcoa's purpose for entering into derivatives not designated as hedging instruments and its overall risk management strategies.

Fair value is defined as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. The fair value hierarchy distinguishes between (1) market participant assumptions developed based on market data obtained from independent sources (observable inputs) and (2) an entity's own assumptions about market participant assumptions developed based on the best information available in the circumstances (unobservable inputs). The fair value hierarchy consists of three broad levels, which gives the highest priority to unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (Level 1) and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs (Level 3). The three levels of the fair value hierarchy are described below:

• Level 1 – Unadjusted quoted prices in active markets that are accessible at the measurement date for identical, unrestricted assets or liabilities.

• Level 2 – Inputs other than quoted prices included within Level 1 that are observable for the asset or liability, either directly or indirectly, including quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities in active markets; quoted prices for identical or similar assets or liabilities in markets that are not active; inputs other than quoted prices that are observable for the asset or liability (e.g., interest rates); and inputs that are derived principally from or corroborated by observable market data by correlation or other means.

• Level 3 – Inputs that are both significant to the fair value measurement and unobservable.

The following section describes the valuation methodologies used by Alcoa to measure derivative contracts at fair value, including an indication of the level in the fair value hierarchy in which each instrument is generally classified. Where appropriate, the description includes details of the valuation models, the key inputs to those models, and any significant assumptions.

Derivative contracts are valued using quoted market prices and significant other observable and unobservable inputs. Such financial instruments consist of aluminum, energy, interest rate, and foreign exchange contracts. The fair values for the majority of these derivative contracts are based upon current quoted market prices. These financial instruments are typically exchange-traded and are generally classified within Level 1 or Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy depending on whether the exchange is deemed to be an active market or not.

For certain derivative contracts whose fair values are based upon trades in liquid markets, such as interest rate swaps, valuation model inputs can generally be verified and valuation techniques do not involve significant management judgment. The fair values of such financial instruments are generally classified within Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy.

Alcoa has other derivative contracts that do not have observable market quotes. For these financial instruments, management uses significant other observable inputs (e.g., information concerning time premiums and volatilities for certain option type embedded derivatives and regional premiums for aluminum contracts). For periods beyond the term of quoted market prices for aluminum, Alcoa uses a model that estimates the long-term price of aluminum based on anticipated changes in worldwide supply and demand. For periods beyond the term of quoted market prices for energy, management has developed a forward curve based on independent consultant market research. Where appropriate, valuations are adjusted for various factors such as liquidity, bid/offer spreads, and credit considerations. Such adjustments are generally based on available market evidence (Level 2). In the absence of such evidence, management's best estimate is used (Level 3).

The following table presents Alcoa's derivative contract assets and liabilities that are measured and recognized at fair value on a recurring basis classified under the appropriate level of the fair value hierarchy (there were no transfers in or out of Levels 1 and 2 during the periods presented):

	June 30, 2011			December 31, 2010
Assets:
Level 1	$	46		$	76
Level 2		40			81
Level 3		28			9
Margin held*		(6	)		(19	)
Total	$	108		$	147
Liabilities:
Level 1	$	9		$	35
Level 2		84			83
Level 3		824			788
Margin posted*		(13	)		(41	)
Total	$	904		$	865

* Margin held represents cash collateral received related to interest rate contracts included in Level 2 and margin posted represents cash collateral paid related to aluminum contracts included in Level 1 and energy contracts included in Level 3. At December 31, 2010, margin held also represents cash collateral received related to aluminum contracts included in Level 1. Alcoa elected to net the margin held and posted against the fair value amounts recognized for derivative instruments executed with the same counterparties under master netting arrangements.

Financial instruments classified as Level 3 in the fair value hierarchy represent derivative contracts in which management has used at least one significant unobservable input in the valuation model. The following table presents a reconciliation of activity for such derivative contracts on a net basis:

	Second quarter ended			Six months ended
	June 30, 2011			June 30, 2011
Balance at beginning of period	$	969		$	779
Total gains or losses (realized and unrealized) included in:
Sales – (decrease)		(19	)		(37	)
Cost of goods sold – (increase)		(6	)		(11	)
Other (income) expenses, net – (increase)		(13	)		(34	)
Other comprehensive income – (increase) decrease		(135	)		99
Purchases, sales, issuances, and settlements*		—			—
Transfers into and (or) out of Level 3*		—			—
Balance at end of period	$	796		$	796
Total gains or losses included in earnings attributable to the change in unrealized gains or losses relating to derivative contracts still held at June 30, 2011:
Sales	$	—		$	—
Cost of goods sold		—			—
Other (income) expenses, net – (increase)		(14	)		(36	)

* There were no purchases, sales, issuances, or settlements of Level 3 financial instruments. Additionally, there were no transfers of financial instruments into or out of Level 3.

As reflected in the table above, the net unrealized loss on derivative contracts using Level 3 valuation techniques was $796 as of June 30, 2011. This loss was mainly attributed to embedded derivatives in power contracts that index the price of power to the London Metal Exchange (LME) price of aluminum. These embedded derivatives are primarily valued using observable market prices. However, due to the length of the contracts, the valuation model also requires management to estimate the long-term price of aluminum based upon anticipated changes in worldwide supply and demand. The embedded derivatives have been designated as hedges of forward sales of aluminum and their realized gains and losses were included in Sales on the accompanying Statement of Consolidated Operations.

Also, included within Level 3 measurements are derivative financial instruments that hedge the cost of electricity. Transactions involving on-peak power are observable as there is an active market. However, there are certain off-peak times when there is not an actively traded market for electricity. Therefore, management utilizes market prices, historical relationships, and various forecast services to determine the fair value. Management utilizes these same valuation techniques for an existing power contract associated with a smelter in the U.S. that no longer qualified for the normal purchase normal sale exception under derivative accounting in late 2009. Unrealized gains and losses for this physical power contract were included in Other (income) expenses, net on the accompanying Statement of Consolidated Operations, while realized gains and losses were included in Cost of goods sold on the accompanying Statement of Consolidated Operations. Additionally, a financial contract related to the same U.S. smelter utilized by management to hedge the price of electricity of the aforementioned power contract no longer qualified for cash flow hedge accounting near the end of 2009. Realized gains and losses of this financial contract were included in Cost of goods sold on the accompanying Statement of Consolidated Operations, while unrealized gains and losses were included in Other (income) expenses, net on the accompanying Statement of Consolidated Operations. Both the physical power contract and the financial contract related to this U.S. smelter expire in September 2011.

Additionally, Alcoa has contracts to hedge the anticipated power requirements at two smelters in Australia. These derivatives hedge forecasted power purchases through December 2036. Beyond the term where market information is available, management has developed a forward curve, for valuation purposes, based on independent consultant market research. The effective portion of gains and losses on these contracts were recorded in Other comprehensive income on the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheet until the designated hedge periods begin in 2014 and 2016. Once the hedge periods begin, realized gains and losses will be recorded in Cost of goods sold.

Furthermore, an embedded derivative in a power contract that indexes the difference between the long-term debt ratings of Alcoa and the counterparty from any of the three major credit rating agencies is included in Level 3. Management uses market prices, historical relationships, and forecast services to determine fair value. Realized gains and losses for this embedded derivative were included in Other (income) expenses, net on the accompanying Statement of Consolidated Operations.

Fair Value Hedges

For derivative instruments that are designated and qualify as fair value hedges, the gain or loss on the derivative as well as the loss or gain on the hedged item attributable to the hedged risk are recognized in current earnings. The gain or loss on the hedged items are included in the same line items as the loss or gain on the related derivative contracts as follows (there were no contracts that ceased to qualify as a fair value hedge in any of the periods presented):

Derivatives in Fair     Value Hedging      Relationships	Location of Gain or (Loss) Recognized in Earnings on Derivatives	Amount of Gain or (Loss) Recognized in Earnings on Derivatives
		Second quarter ended June  30,						Six months ended June  30,
		2011			2010			2011			2010
Aluminum contracts	Sales	$	(27	)	$	(113	)	$	22		$	(94	)
Interest rate contracts	Interest expense		42			18			53			36
Total		$	15		$	(95	)	$	75		$	(58	)
Hedged Items in     Fair Value       Hedging   Relationships	Location of Gain or (Loss) Recognized in Earnings on Hedged Items	Amount of Gain or (Loss) Recognized in Earnings on Hedged Items
		Second quarter ended June  30,						Six months ended June  30,
		2011			2010			2011			2010
Aluminum contracts	Sales	$	26		$	105		$	(26	)	$	86
Interest rate contracts	Interest expense		(9	)		(18	)		(20	)		(36	)
Total		$	17		$	87		$	(46	)	$	50

Aluminum. Alcoa is a leading global producer of primary aluminum and fabricated aluminum products. As a condition of sale, customers often require Alcoa to enter into long-term, fixed-price commitments. These commitments expose Alcoa to the risk of fluctuating aluminum prices between the time the order is committed and the time that the order is shipped. Alcoa's aluminum commodity risk management policy is to manage, principally through the use of futures and contracts, the aluminum price risk associated with a portion of its firm commitments. These contracts cover known exposures, generally within three years. As of June 30, 2011, Alcoa had 229 kmt of aluminum futures designated as fair value hedges. The effects of this hedging activity will be recognized over the designated hedge periods in 2011 to 2013.

Interest Rates. Alcoa uses interest rate swaps to help maintain a strategic balance between fixed- and floating-rate debt and to manage overall financing costs. As of June 30, 2011, the Company had pay floating, receive fixed interest rate swaps that were designated as fair value hedges. These hedges effectively convert the interest rate from fixed to floating on $515 of debt through 2018. In the 2011 second quarter, Alcoa terminated interest rate swaps with a notional amount of $550 in conjunction with the early retirement of the related debt (see Note G). At the time of termination, the swaps were "in-the-money" resulting in a gain of $33, which was recorded in Interest expense on the accompanying Statement of Consolidated Operations.

Cash Flow Hedges

For derivative instruments that are designated and qualify as cash flow hedges, the effective portion of the gain or loss on the derivative is reported as a component of other comprehensive income (OCI) and reclassified into earnings in the same period or periods during which the hedged transaction affects earnings. Gains and losses on the derivative representing either hedge ineffectiveness or hedge components excluded from the assessment of effectiveness are recognized in current earnings.

Derivatives in Cash Flow Hedging Relationships	Amount of Gain or (Loss) Recognized in OCI on Derivatives (Effective Portion)												Location of Gain or (Loss) Reclassified from Accumulated OCI into Earnings (Effective Portion)	Amount of Gain or (Loss) Reclassified from Accumulated OCI into Earnings (Effective Portion)*												Location of Gain or (Loss) Recognized in Earnings on Derivatives (Ineffective Portion and Amount Excluded from Effectiveness Testing)	Amount of Gain or (Loss) Recognized in Earnings on Derivatives (Ineffective Portion and Amount Excluded from Effectiveness Testing)**
	Second quarter ended June 30,						Six months ended June 30,							Second quarter ended June  30,						Six months ended June 30,							Second quarter ended June  30,					Six months ended June 30,
	2011			2010			2011			2010				2011			2010			2011			2010				2011			2010		2011		2010
Aluminum contracts	$	97		$	291		$	(92	)	$	234		Sales	$	(38	)	$	(53	)	$	(76	)	$	(64	)	Other (income) expenses, net	$	(1	)	$	1	$	—	$	3
Energy contracts		8			(3	)		8			(13	)	Cost of goods sold		(3	)		(7	)		(6	)		(11	)	Other (income) expenses, net		—			—		—		—
Energy contracts		—			—			—			(1	)	Other (income) expenses, net		—			—			—			—		Other (income) expenses, net		—			—		—		—
Foreign exchange contracts		1			(1	)		2			(7	)	Sales		1			(1	)		2			(4	)	Other (income) expenses, net		—			—		—		—
Interest rate contracts		(2	)		—			(2	)		—		Other (income) expenses, net		(2	)		—			(2	)		—		Other (income) expenses, net		—			—		—		—
Total	$	104		$	287		$	(84	)	$	213			$	(42	)	$	(61	)	$	(82	)	$	(79	)		$	(1	)	$	1	$	—	$	3

* Assuming market rates remain constant with the rates at June 30, 2011, a loss of $62 is expected to be recognized in earnings over the next 12 months.

** For all periods presented, the amount of gain or (loss) recognized in earnings related to the ineffective portion of the hedging relationships.

Aluminum and Energy. Alcoa anticipates the continued requirement to purchase aluminum and other commodities, such as electricity, natural gas, and fuel oil, for its operations. Alcoa enters into futures and forward contracts to reduce volatility in the price of these commodities. Alcoa has also entered into power supply and other contracts that contain pricing provisions related to the LME aluminum price. The LME-linked pricing features are considered embedded derivatives. A majority of these embedded derivatives have been designated as cash flow hedges of future sales of aluminum.

Also, Alcoa has contracts to hedge the anticipated power requirements at two smelters in Australia. These derivatives hedge forecasted power purchases through December 2036.

Interest Rates. Alcoa had no outstanding cash flow hedges of interest rate exposures as of June 30, 2011. An investment accounted for on the equity method by Alcoa has entered into interest rate contracts, which are designated as cash flow hedges. Alcoa's share of the activity of these cash flow hedges is reflected in the table above.

Foreign Exchange. Alcoa is subject to exposure from fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates. These contracts may be used from time to time to hedge the variability in cash flows from the forecasted payment or receipt of currencies other than the functional currency. These contracts cover periods consistent with known or expected exposures through 2011.

Alcoa had the following outstanding forward contracts that were entered into to hedge forecasted transactions:

	June 30,		December 31,
	2011		2010
Aluminum contracts (kmt)		1,194		1,285
Energy contracts (electricity – megawatt hours)		100,578,295		100,578,295
Foreign exchange contracts	$	10	$	20

Other

Alcoa has also entered into certain derivatives to minimize its price risk related to other customer sales and pricing arrangements. Alcoa has not qualified these contracts for hedge accounting treatment and, therefore, the fair value gains and losses on these contracts are recorded in earnings as follows:

Derivatives Not   Designated as       Hedging     Instruments	Location of Gain or (Loss) Recognized in Earnings on Derivatives	Amount of Gain or (Loss) Recognized in Earnings on Derivatives
		Second quarter ended June  30,						Six months ended June  30,
		2011			2010			2011			2010
Aluminum contracts	Sales	$	(2	)	$	(5	)	$	1		$	(4	)
Aluminum contracts	Other (income) expenses, net		3			23			(11	)		15
Embedded credit derivative	Other (income) expenses, net		(6	)		(3	)		3			(9	)
Energy contract	Other (income) expenses, net		19			14			31			(19	)
Foreign exchange contracts	Other (income) expenses, net		2			(4	)		4			(1	)
Total		$	16		$	25		$	28		$	(18	)

The embedded credit derivative relates to a power contract that indexes the difference between the long-term debt ratings of Alcoa and the counterparty from any of the three major credit rating agencies. If Alcoa's credit ratings were downgraded at any time, an independent investment banker would be consulted to determine a hypothetical interest rate for both parties. The two interest rates would be netted and the resulting difference would be multiplied by Alcoa's equivalent percentage of the outstanding principal of the counterparty's debt obligation as of December 31st of the year preceding the calculation date. This differential would be added to the cost of power in the period following the calculation date.

The energy contract is associated with a smelter in the U.S. for a power contract that no longer qualified for the normal purchase normal sale exception and a financial contract that no longer qualified as a hedge under derivative accounting in late 2009. Alcoa's obligations under the contracts expire in September 2011.

Alcoa has a forward contract to purchase $60 (C$58) to mitigate the foreign currency risk related to a Canadian-denominated loan due in 2014. All other foreign exchange contracts were entered into and settled within each of the periods presented.

Material Limitations

The disclosures with respect to commodity prices, interest rates, and foreign currency exchange risk do not take into account the underlying commitments or anticipated transactions. If the underlying items were included in the analysis, the gains or losses on the futures contracts may be offset. Actual results will be determined by a number of factors that are not under Alcoa's control and could vary significantly from those factors disclosed.

Alcoa is exposed to credit loss in the event of nonperformance by counterparties on the above instruments, as well as credit or performance risk with respect to its hedged customers' commitments. Although nonperformance is possible, Alcoa does not anticipate nonperformance by any of these parties. Contracts are with creditworthy counterparties and are further supported by cash, treasury bills, or irrevocable letters of credit issued by carefully chosen banks. In addition, various master netting arrangements are in place with counterparties to facilitate settlement of gains and losses on these contracts.

Other Financial Instruments

The carrying values and fair values of Alcoa's other financial instruments were as follows:

	June 30, 2011				December 31, 2010
	Carrying value		Fair value		Carrying value		Fair value
Cash and cash equivalents	$	1,260	$	1,260	$	1,543	$	1,543
Restricted cash		1		1		1		1
Noncurrent receivables		26		26		23		23
Available-for-sale securities		95		95		93		93
Short-term borrowings		65		65		92		92
Long-term debt due within one year		510		510		231		231
Long-term debt, less amount due within one year		8,773		10,012		8,842		9,882

The following methods were used to estimate the fair values of other financial instruments:

Cash and cash equivalents, Restricted cash, Short-term borrowings, and Long-term debt due within one year. The carrying amounts approximate fair value because of the short maturity of the instruments.

Noncurrent receivables. The fair value of noncurrent receivables was based on anticipated cash flows, which approximates carrying value.

Available-for-sale securities. The fair value of such securities was based on quoted market prices. These financial instruments consist of exchange-traded fixed income and equity securities, which are carried at fair value and were classified in Level 1 of the fair value hierarchy.

Long-term debt, less amount due within one year. The fair value was based on quoted market prices for public debt and on interest rates that are currently available to Alcoa for issuance of debt with similar terms and maturities for non-public debt.