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Financial Instruments and Risk Management
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2020
Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosure [Abstract]  
Financial Instruments and Risk Management Financial Instruments and Risk Management
The carrying amount of cash and equivalents, receivables and accounts payable, as reflected in the consolidated balance sheets, approximates fair value due to the short maturities of these instruments.

The carrying amount and fair value of our total debt, including short-term borrowings and current maturities of long term debt, is as follows:

December 31, 2020December 31, 2019
Millions of dollarsLevel 1Level 2Total fair valueCarrying valueLevel 1Level 2Total fair valueCarrying value
Total debt$10,856 $700 $11,556 $9,827 $11,093 $868 $11,961 $10,327 

The total fair value of our debt decreased during 2020, primarily due to the early repurchase of senior notes partially offset by lower average yields. See Note 9 for further information.

Our debt categorized within level 1 on the fair value hierarchy is calculated using quoted prices in active markets for identical liabilities with transactions occurring on the last two days of period-end. Our debt categorized within level 2 on the fair value hierarchy is calculated using significant observable inputs for similar liabilities where estimated values are determined from observable data points on our other bonds and on other similarly rated corporate debt or from observable data points of transactions occurring prior to two days from period-end and adjusting for changes in market conditions. Differences between the periods presented in our level 1 and level 2 classification of our long-term debt relate to the timing of when transactions are executed. We have no debt categorized within level 3 on the fair value hierarchy based on unobservable inputs.
We are exposed to market risk from changes in foreign currency exchange rates and interest rates. We selectively manage these exposures through the use of derivative instruments, including forward foreign exchange contracts, foreign exchange options and interest rate swaps. The objective of our risk management strategy is to minimize the volatility from fluctuations in foreign currency and interest rates. We do not use derivative instruments for trading purposes. The fair value of our forward contracts, options and interest rate swaps was not material as of December 31, 2020 or December 31, 2019. The counterparties to our derivatives are primarily global commercial and investment banks.

Foreign currency exchange risk
We have operations in many international locations and are involved in transactions denominated in currencies other than the United States dollar, our functional currency, which exposes us to foreign currency exchange rate risk. Techniques in managing foreign currency exchange risk include, but are not limited to, foreign currency borrowing and investing, and the use of currency exchange instruments. We attempt to selectively manage significant exposures to potential foreign currency exchange losses based on current market conditions, future operating activities, and the associated cost in relation to the perceived risk of loss. The purpose of our foreign currency risk management activities is to minimize the risk that our cash flows from the purchase and sale of products and services in foreign currencies will be adversely affected by changes in exchange rates.

We use forward contracts and options to manage our exposure to fluctuations in the currencies of certain countries in which we do business internationally. These instruments are not treated as hedges for accounting purposes, generally have an expiration date of one year or less, and are not exchange traded. While these instruments are subject to fluctuations in value, the fluctuations are generally offset by the value of the underlying exposures being managed. The use of some of these instruments may limit our ability to benefit from favorable fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates.

Derivatives are not utilized to manage exposures in some currencies due primarily to the lack of available markets or cost considerations (non-traded currencies). We attempt to manage our working capital position to minimize foreign currency exposure in non-traded currencies and recognize that pricing for the services and products offered in these countries should account for the cost of exchange rate devaluations. We have historically incurred transaction losses in non-traded currencies.

The notional amounts of open foreign exchange derivatives were $817 million at December 31, 2020 and $513 million at December 31, 2019. The notional amounts of these instruments do not generally represent amounts exchanged by the parties, and thus are not a measure of our exposure or of the cash requirements related to these contracts. The fair value of our foreign exchange derivatives as of December 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019 is included in “Other current assets” in our consolidated balance sheets and was immaterial. The fair value of these instruments is categorized within level 2 on the fair value hierarchy and was determined using a market approach with certain inputs, such as notional amounts hedged, exchange rates, and other terms of the contracts that are observable in the market or can be derived from or corroborated by observable data.

Interest rate risk
We are subject to interest rate risk on our existing long-term debt. Our short-term borrowings do not give rise to significant interest rate risk due to their short-term nature. We had fixed rate long-term debt totaling $9.8 billion at December 31, 2020 and $10.3 billion at December 31, 2019. We maintain an interest rate management strategy that is intended to mitigate the exposure to changes in interest rates in the aggregate for our debt portfolio. We use interest rate swaps to effectively convert a portion of our fixed rate debt to floating LIBOR-based rates. Our interest rate swaps, which expire when the underlying debt matures, are designated as fair value hedges of the underlying debt and are determined to be highly effective. These derivative instruments are marked to market with gains and losses recognized currently in interest expense to offset the respective gains and losses recognized on changes in the fair value of the hedged debt.

As of December 31, 2020, we had an interest rate swap relating to one of our debt instruments with a total notional amount of $100 million. The fair value of this interest rate swap as of December 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019 is included in “Other assets” in our consolidated balance sheets and was immaterial. The fair value of this interest rate swap is categorized within level 2 on the fair value hierarchy and was determined using a market approach with inputs, such as the notional amount, LIBOR rate spread, and settlement terms that are observable in the market or can be derived from or corroborated by observable data.
Credit risk
Financial instruments that potentially subject us to concentrations of credit risk are primarily cash equivalents and trade receivables. It is our practice to place our cash equivalents in high quality investments with various institutions. Our trade receivables are from a broad and diverse group of customers and are generally not collateralized. As of December 31, 2020, 32% of our net trade receivables were from customers in the United States. As of December 31, 2019, 36% of our net trade receivables were from customers in the United States. We maintain an allowance for credit losses based upon several factors, including historical collection experience, current aging status of the customer accounts and financial condition of our customers. See Note 5 for further information.

We do not have any significant concentrations of credit risk with any individual counterparty to our derivative contracts. We select counterparties to those contracts based on our belief that each counterparty’s profitability, balance sheet, and capacity for timely payment of financial commitments is unlikely to be materially adversely affected by foreseeable events.