11.	Derivative Instruments and Foreign Currency Exposure

The Company is exposed to foreign currency risk. Management has commenced a derivative instrument program to partially offset this risk by purchasing forward contracts to sell the Canadian Dollar and the Euro other than the cash flow hedge discussed below. Such contracts are largely timed to expire with the last day of the fiscal quarter, with a new contract purchased on the first day of the following quarter, to match the operating cycle of the Company. We designated the forward contracts as derivatives but not as hedging instruments, with loss and gain recognized in current earnings.

The Company accounts for its foreign exchange derivative instruments by recognizing all derivatives as either assets or liabilities at fair value, which may result in additional volatility in current period earnings or other comprehensive income, depending whether the instrument was designated as a cash flow hedge, as a result of recording recognized and unrecognized gains and losses from changes in the fair value of derivative instruments.

We have two types of derivatives to manage the risk of foreign currency fluctuations.

We entered into forward contracts with financial institutions to manage our currency exposure related to net assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies. Those forward contract derivatives, not designated as hedging instruments, were generally settled quarterly. Gain and loss on those forward contracts are included in current earnings. There were no outstanding forward contracts at January 31, 2018 or 2017.

We also entered into cash flow hedge contracts with financial institutions to manage our currency exposure on future cash payments denominated in foreign currencies. The effective portion of gain or loss on cash flow hedge is reported as a component of accumulated other comprehensive loss. The notional amount of these contracts was $0.0 million and $1.5 million at January 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively. The corresponding unrealized income or loss is recorded in the consolidated statements of comprehensive income. The corresponding liability amounted to $0.0 and $25,826 at January 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively.