Basis of Presentation and Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2018

The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared by Equinix, Inc. ("Equinix" or the "Company") and reflect all adjustments, consisting only of normal recurring adjustments, which in the opinion of management are necessary to fairly state the financial position and the results of operations for the interim periods presented. The condensed consolidated balance sheet data as of December 31, 2017 has been derived from audited consolidated financial statements as of that date. The condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), but omit certain information and footnote disclosure necessary to present the statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America ("U.S. GAAP"). For further information, refer to the Consolidated Financial Statements and Notes thereto included in Equinix’s Form 10-K as filed with the SEC on February 26, 2018. Results for the interim periods are not necessarily indicative of results for the entire fiscal year.

Consolidation

The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Equinix and its subsidiaries, including the acquisitions of the Metronode group of companies from April 18, 2018, Infomart Dallas from April 2, 2018, Itconic from October 9, 2017, the Zenium data center from October 6, 2017, the Verizon data center business from May 1, 2017, and the IO UK data center operating business from February 3, 2017. All intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.

Income Taxes

The Company elected to be taxed as a real estate investment trust for federal income tax purposes ("REIT") beginning with its 2015 taxable year. As a result, the Company may deduct the distributions made to its stockholders from taxable income generated by the Company and its qualified REIT subsidiaries ("QRSs"). The Company’s dividends paid deduction generally eliminates the U.S. taxable income of the Company and its QRSs, resulting in no U.S. income tax due. However, the Company's taxable REIT subsidiaries ("TRSs") will continue to be subject to income taxes on any taxable income generated by them. In addition, the foreign operations of the Company will continue to be subject to local income taxes regardless of whether the foreign operations are operated as QRSs or TRSs.

The Company provides for income taxes during interim periods based on the estimated effective tax rate for the year. The effective tax rate is subject to change in the future due to various factors such as the operating performance of the Company, tax law changes and future business acquisitions.

The Company's effective tax rates were 15.0% and 20.5% for the six months ended June 30, 2018 and 2017, respectively. The decrease in the effective tax rate for the six months ended June 30, 2018 as compared to the same period in 2017 is primarily due to the reduction of net deferred tax liabilities as a result of a legal entity reorganization in the Company's Americas region during the six months ended June 30, 2018.

The Company’s accounting for deferred taxes involves weighing positive and negative evidence relating to the realizability of deferred tax assets in each tax jurisdiction. After considering such evidence as the nature, frequency, severity of current and cumulative financial reporting losses, and sources of future taxable incomes and tax planning strategies, the Company concluded that valuation allowances were still required in certain foreign jurisdictions. Given the strength of the Company’s operations, combined with certain tax strategies, it is reasonably possible that within the next 12 months, positive evidence will be sufficient to release a significant amount of valuation allowance in certain foreign jurisdictions. Release of valuation allowance would result in recognition of certain deferred tax assets and a decrease to income tax expense for the period the release is recorded. The exact timing and amount of the valuation allowance release are subject to change based on the profitability that the foreign jurisdictions are able to sustain. The Company will continue to evaluate the release of valuation allowances on a quarterly basis.

Legislation commonly referred to as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (“TCJA”), which was signed into law on December 22, 2017, contains many significant changes to the existing U.S. federal income tax laws. Among other things, the TCJA reduces the U.S. corporate income tax rate from 35% to 21% effective January 1, 2018, limits the tax deductibility of interest expense, accelerates expensing of certain business assets and transitions the U.S. international taxation from a worldwide tax system to a territorial tax system by imposing a one-time mandatory repatriation of undistributed foreign earnings. The Company recognized an income tax expense of $6.5 million during the fourth quarter of 2017, which is a provisional amount related to the re-measurement of the net deferred tax assets in the U.S. TRS as a result of the reduced corporate income tax rate. The Company is still analyzing the new tax legislation and assessing the impact as of the end of the current quarter. The Company will conclude whether any adjustments are required to its net deferred tax asset balance in the U.S. when it files its 2017 U.S. federal tax return in the fourth quarter of 2018. Any adjustments to these provisional amounts will be reported as a component of tax expense (benefit) in the reporting period when such adjustments are determined.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

Accounting Standards Not Yet Adopted

In August 2017, Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") issued Accounting Standards Update ("ASU") No. 2017-12 Derivatives and Hedging (Topic 815): Targeted Improvements to Accounting for Hedging Activities. This ASU was issued to improve the financial reporting of hedging relationships to better portray the economic results of an entity’s risk management activities in its financial statements and to simplify the application of the hedge accounting guidance in current GAAP. This ASU permits hedge accounting for risk components involving nonfinancial risk and interest rate risk, requires an entity to present the earnings effect of the hedging instrument in the same income statement line item in which the hedged item is reported, no longer requires separate measurement and reporting of hedge ineffectiveness, eases the requirement for hedge effectiveness assessment, and requires a tabular disclosure related to the effect on the income statement of fair value and cash flow hedges. This ASU is effective for annual or any interim reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2018 with early adoption permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact that the adoption of this standard will have on its consolidated financial statements, including its accounting policies, processes and systems.

In June 2016, FASB issued ASU 2016-13, Financial Instruments - Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments. The ASU requires the measurement of all expected credit losses for financial assets held at the reporting date based on historical experience, current conditions, and reasonable and supportable forecasts. The ASU requires enhanced disclosures to help investors and other financial statement users better understand significant estimates and judgments used in estimating credit losses, as well as the credit quality and underwriting standards of an organization's portfolio. These disclosures include qualitative and quantitative requirements that provide additional information about the amounts recorded in the financial statements. In addition, the ASU amends the accounting for credit losses on available-for-sale debt securities and purchased financial assets with credit deterioration. The ASU is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2019, with early adoption permitted for all organizations for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2018. The Company expects this ASU to impact its accounting for allowances for doubtful accounts and is currently evaluating the extent of the impact that the adoption of this standard will have on its consolidated financial statements, including its accounting policies, processes and systems.

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842) ("ASU 2016-02") and issued subsequent amendments to the initial guidance. Under the new guidance, lessees will be required to recognize the following for all leases (with the exception of short-term leases) at the commencement date: (1) a lease liability, which is a lessee's obligation to make lease payments arising from a lease, measured on a discounted basis; and (2) a right-of-use asset, which is an asset that represents the lessee's right to use, or control the use of, a specified asset for the lease term. The standard allows entities to adopt with one of two methods: the modified retrospective transition method or the alternative transition method. The Company currently anticipates adopting the standard using the alternative transition method, under which the Company will recognize the cumulative effects of initially applying the standard as an adjustment to the opening balance of retained earnings in the period of adoption. The new guidance is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within those fiscal years, with early adoption permitted. The Company will adopt the standard on January 1, 2019. The Company plans to elect the practical expedient that it will not reassess whether any expired or existing contracts are or contain leases, the lease classification for any expired or existing leases or initial direct costs for any existing leases. The Company expects to record a significant increase in assets and liabilities on the consolidated balance sheet at adoption due to the recording of right-of-use assets and corresponding lease liabilities for leases that are accounted for as operating leases. The Company is currently evaluating the extent of the impact that the adoption of this standard will have on its consolidated financial statements, including its accounting policies, processes and systems.

Accounting Standards Adopted

In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers ("ASU 2014-09") and issued subsequent amendments to the initial guidance, collectively referred as "Topic 606." Topic 606 replaces most existing revenue recognition guidance in U.S. GAAP. The core principle of Topic 606 is that an entity should recognize revenue for the transfer of control of the goods or services equal to the amount that it expects to be entitled to receive for those goods or services. Topic 606 requires additional disclosure about the nature, amount, timing and uncertainty of revenue and cash flows arising from customer contracts, including significant judgments and changes in judgments.

On January 1, 2018, the Company adopted Topic 606 using the modified retrospective approach applied to those contracts, which were not completed as of January 1, 2018, and recognized a net increase to the opening retained earnings of $269.8 million, net of tax impacts. Results for reporting periods beginning after January 1, 2018 are presented under Topic 606, while the comparative information has not been restated and continues to be reported under accounting standards in effect for those periods.

In adopting the new guidance, the Company elected to apply the practical expedient which allows the Company, when using the modified retrospective method of adoption, to not retrospectively restate contracts with multiple modifications on a modification by modification basis. Instead, the Company will reflect the aggregate amount of all modifications that occur before the beginning of the earliest period presented using the new standard. In addition, where appropriate, the Company elected to apply the practical expedient to account for the new standard under the portfolio approach as the Company reasonably expects that the effects of applying the guidance under the portfolio approach will not differ materially from applying the guidance to individual contracts.

The most significant impacts to the Company from Topic 606 relate to installation revenue and the cost to obtain contracts. Under the new standard, the Company now recognizes installation revenue over the contract period rather than over the estimated installation life as under the prior revenue standard. Under the new standard, the Company is also required to capitalize and amortize certain costs to obtain contracts, rather than expense them immediately as under the previous standard.

The cumulative effect of the changes made to the Company's consolidated January 1, 2018 balance sheet from the adoption of Topic 606 was as follows (in thousands):



Balance Sheet	Balance at December 31, 2017			Adjustments due to adoption of Topic 606			Balance at January 1, 2018
Assets
Other current assets	$	232,027		$	9,002		$	241,029
Other assets ⁽¹⁾	241,750			179,578			421,328
Liabilities
Other current liabilities	159,914			(16,215		)	143,699
Other liabilities ⁽²⁾	661,710			(63,051		)	598,659
Equity
Accumulated other comprehensive loss ⁽³⁾	(785,189		)	(1,930		)	(787,119		)
Retained earnings	$	252,689		$	269,776		$	522,465


⁽¹⁾	Includes cumulative adjustments related to cost to obtain contracts, non-current contract assets and deferred tax assets.


⁽²⁾	Includes cumulative adjustments related to non-current deferred revenue and deferred tax liabilities.


⁽³⁾	Includes cumulative adjustments related to CTA.

The following tables summarize the effects of adopting Topic 606 on the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statement line items (in thousands, except per share data):



Balance Sheets	June 30, 2018			Adjustments			Balances without adoption of Topic 606
Other current assets	$	249,846		$	(9,675	)	$	240,171
Total current assets	1,850,825			(9,675		)	1,841,150
Other assets	525,961			(183,843		)	342,118
Total assets	$	20,070,288		$	(193,518	)	$	19,876,770
Accounts payable and accrued expenses	$	710,584		$	(1,569	)	$	709,015
Other current liabilities	142,312			15,588			157,900
Total current liabilities	1,433,620			14,019			1,447,639
Other liabilities	633,450			68,038			701,488
Total liabilities	13,145,761			82,057			13,227,818
Accumulated other comprehensive loss	(877,994		)	5,716			(872,278		)
Retained earnings	655,101			(281,291		)	373,810
Total stockholders' equity	6,924,527			(275,575		)	6,648,952
Total liabilities and stockholders' equity	$	20,070,288		$	(193,518	)	$	19,876,770



Statements of Operations	Three Months Ended June 30, 2018			Adjustments			Balance without adoption of Topic 606			Six Months Ended June 30, 2018			Adjustments			Balance without adoption of Topic 606
Revenues	$	1,261,943		$	(2,521	)	$	1,259,422		$	2,477,820		$	(6,357	)	$	2,471,463
Sales and marketing	154,202			4,376			158,578			313,978			7,678			321,656
Total costs and operating expenses	1,046,905			4,376			1,051,281			2,036,907			7,678			2,044,585
Income from operations	215,038			(6,897		)	208,141			440,913			(14,035		)	426,878
Income before income taxes	73,974			(6,897		)	67,077			153,627			(14,035		)	139,592
Income tax expense	(6,356		)	1,146			(5,210		)	(23,115		)	2,520			(20,595		)
Net income	$	67,618		$	(5,751	)	$	61,867		$	130,512		$	(11,515	)	$	118,997
Basic EPS	$	0.85		$	(0.07	)	$	0.78		$	1.64		$	(0.14	)	$	1.50
Diluted EPS	$	0.85		$	(0.07	)	$	0.78		$	1.64		$	(0.15	)	$	1.49



Statements of Cash Flow	Six Months Ended June 30, 2018			Adjustments			Balance without adoption of Topic 606
Cash flows from operating activities:
Net income (loss)	$	130,512		$	(11,515	)	$	118,997
Adjustments to reconcile net income (loss) to net cash provided by operating activities:
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
Income taxes, net	(22,866		)	1,708			(21,158		)
Other assets	3,536			1,509			5,045
Other liabilities	24,288			8,298			32,586
Net cash provided by operating activities	$	839,635		$	—		$	839,635

The Company also adopted the following standards during 2018, none of which had a material impact to the Company's condensed consolidated financial statements or financial statement disclosures:



Standards	Description	Effective Date and Adoption Consideration
ASU 2017-09 Compensation–Stock Compensation (Topic 718)	This ASU was issued primarily to provide clarity and reduce both diversity in practice and cost and complexity when applying the guidance in Topic 718 to a change to the terms or conditions of a share-based payment award. This ASU affects any entity that changes the terms or conditions of a share-based payment award. This ASU provides guidance about which changes to the terms or conditions of a share-based payment award require an entity to apply modification accounting in Topic 718.	January 1, 2018

ASU 2017-07 Compensation–Retirement Benefits (Topic 715)	This ASU was issued primarily to improve the presentation of net periodic pension cost and net periodic post-retirement benefit cost. This ASU requires that an employer reports the service cost component in the same line item or items as other compensation costs arising from services rendered by the pertinent employees during the period. It also requires the other components of net periodic pension cost and net periodic post-retirement benefit cost to be presented in the income statement separately from the service cost component and outside a subtotal of income from operations, if one is presented. Additionally, only the service cost component is eligible for capitalization, when applicable.	January 1, 2018

ASU 2017-05 Other Income—Gains and Losses from the Derecognition of Non-Financial Assets (Subtopic 610-20)	This ASU is to clarify the scope of the non-financial asset guidance in Subtopic 610-20 and to add guidance for partial sales of non-financial assets. This ASU defines the term in substance non-financial asset and clarifies that non-financial assets within the scope of Subtopic 610-20 may include non-financial assets transferred within a legal entity to a counterparty. The ASU also provides guidance on the accounting for what often are referred to as partial sales of non-financial assets within the scope of Subtopic 610-20 and contributions of non-financial assets to a joint venture or other non-controlled investee.	January 1, 2018

ASU 2017-04 Intangibles - Goodwill and Other (Topic 350): Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment.	This ASU is to simplify the subsequent measurement of goodwill. The ASU eliminates step 2 from the goodwill impairment test and the requirements for any reporting unit with a zero or negative carrying amount to perform a qualitative assessment and, if it fails that qualitative test, to perform step 2 of the goodwill impairment test. An entity still has the option to perform the qualitative assessment for a reporting unit to determine if the quantitative impairment test is necessary.	The Company elected to early adopt this ASU on a prospective basis, effective January 1, 2018.

ASU 2017-01, Business Combinations (Topic 805): Clarifying the Definition of a Business	This ASU provides new guidance to assist entities with evaluating when a set of transferred assets and activities is a business. The definition of a business affects many areas of accounting including acquisitions, disposals, goodwill, and consolidation.	The Company adopted this standard on a prospective basis, effective January 1, 2018. The adoption of this standard may impact the accounting of future transactions.

ASU 2016-16, Income Taxes (Topic 740): Intra-Entity Transfers of Assets Other Than Inventory	This ASU requires the recognition of the income tax consequences of an intra-entity transfer of an asset other than inventory when the transfer occurs.	January 1, 2018

ASU 2016-01 Financial Instruments- Overall (Subtopic 825-10)	This ASU requires all equity investments to be measured at fair value with changes in the fair value recognized through net income other than those accounted for under equity method of accounting or those that result in consolidation of the investees. The ASU also requires that an entity present separately in other comprehensive income the portion of the total change in the fair value of a liability resulting from a change in the instrument-specific credit risk when the entity has elected to measure the liability at fair value in accordance with the fair value option for financial instruments.	The Company adopted this standard using the modified retrospective method, effective January 1, 2018 and recorded a net increase to retained earnings of $2.1 million.

Revenue Recognition

Equinix derives more than 90% of its revenues from recurring revenue streams, consisting primarily of (1) colocation, which includes the licensing of cabinet space and power; (2) interconnection offerings, such as cross connects and Equinix Exchange ports; (3) managed infrastructure solutions and (4) other revenues consisting of rental income from tenants or subtenants. The remainder of the Company’s revenues are from non-recurring revenue streams, such as installation revenues, professional services, contract settlements and equipment sales. Revenues are recognized when control of these products and services is transferred to its customers, in an amount that reflects the consideration it expects to be entitled to in exchange for the products and services. Revenues by service lines and geographic areas are included in segment information (see Note 11).

Revenues from recurring revenue streams are generally billed monthly and recognized ratably over the term of the contract, generally one to three years for IBX data center colocation customers. Non-recurring installation fees, although generally paid upfront upon installation, are deferred and recognized ratably over the contract term. Professional service fees and equipment sales are recognized in the period when the services were provided. For the contracts with customers that contain multiple performance obligations, the Company accounts for individual performance obligations separately if they are distinct or as a series of distinct obligations if the individual performance obligations meet the series criteria. Determining whether products and services are considered distinct performance obligations that should be accounted for separately versus together may require significant judgment. The transaction price is allocated to the separate performance obligation on a relative standalone selling price basis. The standalone selling price is determined based on overall pricing objectives, taking into consideration market conditions, geographic locations and other factors. Other judgments include determining if any variable consideration should be included in the total contract value of the arrangement such as price increases.

Revenue is generally recognized on a gross basis in accordance with the accounting standard related to reporting revenue on a gross basis as a principal versus on a net basis as an agent, as the Company is primarily responsible for fulfilling the contract, bears inventory risk and has discretion in establishing the price when selling to the customer. To the extent the Company does not meet the criteria for recognizing revenue on a gross basis, the Company records the revenue on a net basis. Revenue from contract settlements, when a customer wishes to terminate their contract early, is generally treated as a contract modification and recognized ratably over the remaining term of the contract, if any.

The Company guarantees certain service levels, such as uptime, as outlined in individual customer contracts. If these service levels are not achieved due to any failure of the physical infrastructure or offerings, or in the event of certain instances of damage to customer infrastructure within the Company’s IBX data centers, the Company would reduce revenue for any credits or cash payments given to the customer. Historically, these credits and cash payments have generally not been significant.

As a result of certain customer agreements being priced in currencies different from the functional currencies of the parties involved, under applicable accounting rules, the Company is deemed to have foreign currency forward contracts embedded in these contracts. The Company assessed these embedded contracts and concluded them to be foreign currency embedded derivatives (see Note 5). These instruments are separated from their host contracts and held on the Company’s condensed consolidated balance sheet at their fair value. The majority of these foreign currency embedded derivatives arise in certain of the Company’s subsidiaries where the local currency is the subsidiary’s functional currency and the customer contract is denominated in the U.S. dollar. Changes in their fair values are recognized within revenues in the Company’s condensed consolidated statements of operations.

Contract Balances

The timing of revenue recognition, billings and cash collections result in accounts receivables, contract assets and deferred revenues. A receivable is recorded at the invoice amount, net of an allowance for doubtful account and is recognized in the period when the Company has transferred products or provided services to its customers and when its right to consideration is unconditional. Payment terms and conditions vary by contract type, although terms generally include a requirement of payment within 30 to 45 days. In instances where the timing of revenue recognition differs from the timing of invoicing, the Company has determined that the Company's contracts generally do not include a significant financing component. The Company assesses collectability based on a number of factors, including past transaction history with the customer and the credit-worthiness of the customer. The Company generally does not request collateral from its customers although in certain cases the Company obtains a security interest in a customer’s equipment placed in its IBX data centers or obtains a deposit. The Company also maintains an allowance for doubtful accounts for estimated losses resulting from the inability of its customers to make required payments for which the Company had expected to collect the revenues. If the financial condition of the Company’s customers were to deteriorate or if they became insolvent, resulting in an impairment of their ability to make payments, greater allowances for doubtful accounts may be required. Management specifically analyzes accounts receivable and current economic news and trends, historical bad debts, customer concentrations, customer credit-worthiness and changes in customer payment terms when evaluating revenue recognition and the adequacy of the Company’s reserves. Any amounts that were previously recognized as revenue and subsequently determined to be uncollectable are charged to bad debt expense included in sales and marketing expense in the condensed consolidated statements of operations. A specific bad debt reserve of up to the full amount of a particular invoice value is provided for certain problematic customer balances. An additional reserve is established for all other accounts based on the age of the invoices and an analysis of historical credits issued. Delinquent account balances are written off after management has determined that the likelihood of collection is not probable.

A contract asset exists when the Company has transferred products or provided services to its customers, but customer payment is contingent upon satisfaction of additional performance obligation. Certain contracts include terms related to price arrangements such as price increases and free months. The Company recognizes revenues ratably over the contract term, which could potentially give rise to contract assets during certain periods of the contract term. Contract assets are recorded in other current assets and other assets in the condensed consolidated balance sheet.

Deferred revenue (a contract liability) is recognized when the Company has an unconditional right to a payment before it transfers goods or services to customers. Deferred revenue is included in other current liabilities and other liabilities, respectively, in the condensed consolidated balance sheet.

The following table summarizes the opening and closing balances of the Company's receivables; contract asset, current; contract asset, non-current; deferred revenue, current; and deferred revenue, non-current (in thousands):



	Receivables		Contract asset, current		Contract asset, non-current			Deferred revenue, current		Deferred revenue, non-current
Beginning balances as of January 1, 2018 ⁽¹⁾	$	576,313	$	9,002	$	16,186		$	71,085	$	53,101
Closing balances as of June 30, 2018	616,472		9,748		16,010			80,464		48,863
Increase/(decrease)	$	40,159	$	746	$	(176	)	$	9,379	$	(4,238	)


⁽¹⁾	Includes cumulative adjustments made to these accounts on January 1, 2018 from the adoption of Topic 606.

The difference between the opening and closing balances of the Company's contract assets and deferred revenues primarily results from the timing difference between the Company's performance obligation and the customer's payment, as well as business combinations closed during the six months ended June 30, 2018. The amounts of revenue recognized during the six months ended June 30, 2018 from the opening deferred revenue balance was $55.0 million. For the three and six months ended June 30, 2018, no impairment loss related to contract balances was recognized in the condensed consolidated statement of operations.

Contract Costs

Direct and indirect costs solely related to obtaining revenue contracts are capitalized as costs of obtaining a contract, when they are incremental and if they are expected to be recovered. Such costs consist primarily of commission fees and sales bonuses, as well as indirect related payroll costs. Contract costs are amortized over the estimated period of benefit on a straight-line basis. The Company elected to apply the practical expedient which allows the Company to expense contract costs when incurred, if the amortization period is one year or less.

The ending balance of net capitalized contract costs as of June 30, 2018 was $176.8 million, which was included in other assets in the condensed consolidated balance sheet. For the three and six months ended June 30, 2018, $17.8 million and $35.3 million of contract costs were amortized, which were included in sales and marketing expense in the condensed consolidated statement of operations.

Remaining performance obligations

As of June 30, 2018, approximately $5.6 billion of total revenues and deferred installation revenues are expected to be recognized in future periods, the majority of which will be recognized over the next 24 months. While initial contract terms vary in length, substantially all contracts thereafter automatically renew in one-year increments. Included in the remaining performance obligations is either 1) remaining performance obligations under the initial contract terms or 2) remaining performance obligations related to contracts in the renewal period once the initial terms have lapsed. The remaining performance obligations also do not include variable consideration related to unsatisfied performance obligations such as the usage of metered power or any contracts that could be terminated without any significant penalties such as the majority of interconnection revenues. The remaining performance obligations include some leasing activities that are insignificant to the Company’s total operations.

The Company elected to apply the practical expedient that allows the Company not to disclose the remaining performance obligations for variable consideration that is allocated to entirely unsatisfied performance obligations or to a wholly unsatisfied distinct good or service that forms part of a single obligation.

Derivatives Designated as Hedging Instruments

Net Investment Hedges. The Company is exposed to the impact of foreign exchange rate fluctuations on its investments in foreign subsidiaries whose functional currencies are other than the U.S. dollar. In order to mitigate the impact of foreign currency exchange rates, the Company has entered into various foreign currency loans which are designated as hedges against the Company's net investment in foreign subsidiaries. As of June 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017, the total principal amount of foreign currency loans, which were designated as net investment hedges, were $3,864.4 million and $3,149.5 million, respectively. The Company also uses foreign exchange forward contracts from time to time to hedge against the effect of foreign exchange rate fluctuations on a portion of its net investment in the foreign subsidiaries. For a net investment hedge, changes in the fair value of the hedging instrument designated as a net investment hedge, except the ineffective portion and forward points, are recorded as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) in the condensed consolidated balance sheet.

The Company recorded pre-tax net foreign exchange gains of $226.1 million and $151.8 million in other comprehensive income (loss) for the three and six months ended June 30, 2018, respectively, and pre-tax net foreign exchange losses of $101.8 million and $130.4 million in other comprehensive income (loss) for the three and six months ended June 30, 2017, respectively. The Company recorded no ineffectiveness from its net investment hedges for the three and six months ended June 30, 2018 and 2017.

Cash Flow Hedges. The Company hedges its foreign currency translation exposure for forecasted revenues and expenses in its EMEA region between the U.S. dollar and the British Pound, Euro, Swedish Krona and Swiss Franc. The foreign currency forward and option contracts that the Company uses from time to time to hedge this exposure are designated as cash flow hedges under the accounting standard for derivatives and hedging.

The Company enters into intercompany hedging instruments ("intercompany derivatives") with a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company in order to hedge certain forecasted revenues and expenses denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar. Simultaneously, the Company enters into derivative contracts with unrelated third parties to externally hedge the net exposure created by such intercompany derivatives.

Derivatives Not Designated as Hedging Instruments

Embedded Derivatives. The Company is deemed to have foreign currency forward contracts embedded in certain of the Company’s customer agreements that are priced in currencies different from the functional or local currencies of the parties involved. These embedded derivatives are separated from their host contracts and carried on the Company’s balance sheet at their fair value. The majority of these embedded derivatives arise as a result of the Company’s foreign subsidiaries pricing their customer contracts in the U.S. dollar. Gains and losses on these embedded derivatives are included within revenues in the Company’s condensed consolidated statements of operations. During the three months ended June 30, 2018, the gain associated with these embedded derivatives was $3.9 million. During the six months ended June 30, 2018, the gains (losses) associated with these embedded derivatives were not significant. During the three months ended June 30, 2017, the gains (losses) associated with these embedded derivatives were not significant. During the six months ended June 30, 2017, the loss associated with these embedded derivatives was $6.8 million.

Economic Hedges of Embedded Derivatives. The Company uses foreign currency forward contracts to help manage the foreign exchange risk associated with the Company’s customer agreements that are priced in currencies different from the functional or local currencies of the parties involved ("economic hedges of embedded derivatives"). Foreign currency forward contracts represent agreements to exchange the currency of one country for the currency of another country at an agreed-upon price on an agreed-upon settlement date. Gains and losses on these contracts are included in revenues along with gains and losses of the related embedded derivatives. The Company entered into various economic hedges of embedded derivatives during the three and six months ended June 30, 2018 and 2017. During the three and six months ended June 30, 2018 and 2017, the gains (losses) associated with these contracts were not significant.

Foreign Currency Forward and Option Contracts. The Company also uses foreign currency forward and option contracts to manage the foreign exchange risk associated with certain foreign currency-denominated monetary assets and liabilities. As a result of foreign currency fluctuations, the U.S. dollar equivalent values of its foreign currency-denominated monetary assets and liabilities change. Gains and losses on these contracts are included in other income (expense), on a net basis, along with the foreign currency gains and losses of the related foreign currency-denominated monetary assets and liabilities associated with these foreign currency forward contracts. The Company entered into various foreign currency forward and option contracts during the three and six months ended June 30, 2018 and 2017. During the three and six months ended June 30, 2018, the Company recognized net gains of $49.8 million and $47.4 million, respectively, associated with these contracts. During the three and six months ended June 30, 2017, the Company recognized net losses of $22.5 million and $37.2 million, respectively, associated with these contracts.

Cash, Cash Equivalents and Investments

Cash, Cash Equivalents and Investments. The fair value of the Company's investments in money market funds approximates their face value. Such instruments are included in cash equivalents. The Company’s money market funds and publicly traded equity securities are classified within Level 1 of the fair value hierarchy because they are valued using quoted prices for identical instruments in active markets. The fair value of the Company's other investments, including certificates of deposit, approximates their face value. The fair value of these investments is priced based on the quoted market price for similar instruments or nonbinding market prices that are corroborated by observable market data. Such instruments are classified within Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy. The Company determines the fair values of its Level 2 investments by using inputs such as actual trade data, benchmark yields, broker/dealer quotes, and other similar data, which are obtained from quoted market prices, custody bank, third-party pricing vendors, or other sources. The Company uses such pricing data as the primary input to make its assessments and determinations as to the ultimate valuation of its investment portfolio and has not made, during the periods presented, any material adjustments to such inputs. The Company is responsible for its condensed consolidated financial statements and underlying estimates.

The Company uses the specific identification method in computing realized gains and losses. Realized gains and losses on the investments are included within other income (expense) in the Company’s condensed consolidated statements of operations. The Company's investments in publicly traded equity securities are carried at fair value. Subsequent to the adoption of ASU 2016-01 in the three months ended March 31, 2018, unrealized gains and losses on publicly traded equity securities are reported within other income (expense) in the Company’s condensed consolidated statements of operations. Prior to the adoption of ASU 2016-01, unrealized gains and losses on publicly traded equity securities were reported in stockholders’ equity as a component of other comprehensive income or loss. Upon adoption of ASU 2016-01, the Company recorded a net cumulative effect increase of $2.1 million to retained earnings.

Derivative Assets and Liabilities

Derivative Assets and Liabilities. For derivatives, the Company uses forward contract and option models employing market observable inputs, such as spot currency rates and forward points with adjustments made to these values utilizing published credit default swap rates of its foreign exchange trading counterparties and other comparable companies. The Company has determined that the inputs used to value its derivatives fall within Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy, therefore the derivatives are categorized as Level 2.

Segment Information

While the Company has a single line of business, which is the design, build-out and operation of IBX data centers, it has determined that it has three reportable segments comprised of its Americas, EMEA and Asia-Pacific geographic regions. The Company's chief operating decision-maker evaluates performance, makes operating decisions and allocates resources based on the Company's revenues and adjusted EBITDA performance both on a consolidated basis and based on these three reportable segments.