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FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS AND FAIR VALUE MEASURES
 12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2015
Financial Instruments And Fair Value Measures [Abstract]  
Financial Instruments and Fair Value Measures

Note 14. Financial Instruments and Fair Value Measures

Credit and Market Risk—Financial instruments, including derivatives, expose us to counterparty credit risk for nonperformance and to market risk related to changes in interest and currency exchange rates and commodity prices. We manage our exposure to counterparty credit risk through specific minimum credit standards, diversification of counterparties, and procedures to monitor concentrations of credit risk. Our counterparties in derivative transactions are substantial investment and commercial banks with significant experience using such derivative instruments. We monitor the impact of market risk on the fair value and cash flows of our derivative and other financial instruments considering reasonably possible changes in interest rates and currency exchange rates and restrict the use of derivative financial instruments to hedging activities.

We continually monitor the creditworthiness of our customers to which we grant credit terms in the normal course of business. The terms and conditions of our credit sales are designed to mitigate or eliminate concentrations of credit risk with any single customer. Our sales are not materially dependent on a single customer or a small group of customers.

Foreign Currency Risk Management—We conduct our business on a multinational basis in a wide variety of foreign currencies. Our exposure to market risk for changes in foreign currency exchange rates arises from international financing activities between subsidiaries, foreign currency denominated monetary assets and liabilities and transactions arising from international trade. Our primary objective is to preserve the U.S. Dollar value of foreign currency denominated cash flows and earnings. We attempt to hedge currency exposures with natural offsets to the fullest extent possible and, once these opportunities have been exhausted, through foreign currency exchange forward and option contracts with third parties.

We hedge monetary assets and liabilities denominated in non-functional currencies. Prior to conversion into U.S. dollars, these assets and liabilities are remeasured at spot exchange rates in effect on the balance sheet date. The effects of changes in spot rates are recognized in earnings and included in Other (Income) Expense. We partially hedge forecasted sales and purchases, which predominantly occur in the next twelve months and are denominated in non-functional currencies, with currency forward contracts. Changes in the forecasted non-functional currency cash flows due to movements in exchange rates are substantially offset by changes in the fair value of the currency forward contracts designated as hedges. Market value gains and losses on these contracts are recognized in earnings when the hedged transaction is recognized. Open foreign currency exchange forward contracts mature predominantly in the next twelve months. At December 31, 2015 and 2014, we had contracts with notional amounts of $10,538 million and $7,291 million to exchange foreign currencies, principally the U.S. Dollar, Euro, British Pound, Chinese Renminbi, Indian Rupee, Mexican Peso, Canadian Dollar, U.A.E. Dirham and Singapore Dollar.

We have also designated foreign currency debt as hedges against portions of our net investment in foreign operations during the year ended December 31, 2015. Gains or losses on the effective portion of the foreign currency debt designated as a net investment hedge are recorded in the same manner as foreign currency translation adjustments. The Company did not have ineffectiveness related to net investment hedges during the year ended December 31, 2015.

Interest Rate Risk Management—We use a combination of financial instruments, including long-term, medium-term and short-term financing, variable-rate commercial paper, and interest rate swaps to manage the interest rate mix of our total debt portfolio and related overall cost of borrowing. At December 31, 2015 and 2014, interest rate swap agreements designated as fair value hedges effectively changed $1,100 million of fixed rate debt at rate of 4.00 to LIBOR based floating rate debt. Our interest rate swaps mature at various dates through 2023.

Fair Value of Financial Instruments—The FASB’s accounting guidance defines fair value 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 (exit price).

Financial and nonfinancial assets and liabilities are classified in their entirety based on the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value measurement. The following table sets forth the Company’s financial assets and liabilities that were accounted for at fair value on a recurring basis as of December 31, 2015 and 2014:

December 31,
20152014
Assets:
Foreign currency exchange contracts$28$20
Available for sale investments1,5011,479
Interest rate swap agreements9293
Liabilities:
Foreign currency exchange contracts$17$10

The foreign currency exchange contracts and interest rate swap agreements are valued using broker quotations, or market transactions in either the listed or over-the-counter markets. As such, these derivative instruments are classified within level 2. The Company also holds investments in commercial paper, certificates of deposits, and time deposits that are designated as available for sale and are valued using published prices based off observable market data. As such, these investments are classified within level 2.

The carrying value of cash and cash equivalents, trade accounts and notes receivables, payables, commercial paper and short-term borrowings contained in the Consolidated Balance Sheet approximates fair value. The following table sets forth the Company’s financial assets and liabilities that were not carried at fair value:

December 31, 2015December 31, 2014
CarryingFairCarryingFair
ValueValueValueValue
Assets
Long-term receivables$292$283$297$293
Liabilities
Long-term debt and related current maturities$6,131$6,721$6,985$7,817

The Company determined the fair value of the long-term receivables by discounting based upon the terms of the receivable and counterparty details including credit quality. As such, the fair value of these receivables is considered level 2. The Company determined the fair value of the long-term debt and related current maturities utilizing transactions in the listed markets for identical or similar liabilities. As such, the fair value of the long-term debt and related current maturities is considered level 2 as well.

Interest rate swap agreements are designated as hedge relationships with gains or losses on the derivative recognized in Interest and other financial charges offsetting the gains and losses on the underlying debt being hedged. Losses on interest rate swap agreements recognized in earnings were $2 million in the year ended December 31, 2015. Gains on interest rate swap agreements recognized in earnings were $38 million in the year ended 2014. Gains and losses are fully offset by losses and gains on the underlying debt being hedged.

We also economically hedge our exposure to changes in foreign exchange rates principally with forward contracts. These contracts are marked-to-market with the resulting gains and losses recognized in earnings offsetting the gains and losses on the non-functional currency denominated monetary assets and liabilities being hedged. We recognized $86 million and $181 million of expense, in other (income) expense for the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014. See Note 4 Other (Income) Expense for further details of the net impact of these economic foreign currency hedges.