Derivatives and Financial Instruments

The Company is exposed to, among other risks, the impact of changes in commodity prices, foreign currency exchange rates, and interest rates in the normal course of business. The Company's financial risk management program is designed to manage the exposure and volatility arising from these risks and utilizes derivative financial instruments to offset a portion of these risks. We do not enter into derivative financial instruments for trading or speculative purposes. On an on-going basis, we monitor counterparty credit ratings. We consider credit non-performance risk to be low because we enter into agreements with commercial institutions that have investment grade credit rating.

On March 1, 2018, we entered into a cross-currency swap in which we would settle interest on the notional amount in Euros and settle interest on the notional amount in dollars, both at a variable rate. The objective of the transaction was to protect the initial net investment in Brabant against adverse changes in the exchange rate between the U.S. dollar and the Euro. Hedge effectiveness was assessed based upon changes in the spot foreign exchange rate. As such, the change in value of the cross-currency interest rate swap related to the change in spot rates was effective at offsetting changes in cumulative translation adjustment related to the portion of our net investment in Brabant up to the notional amount of the cross-currency interest rate swap.

Under the cross-currency interest rate swap, we received €53,000 on which we would settle interest at the 1-month Euribor rate, and we lent to the counterparty $64,930 on which we would settle interest at the 1-month LIBOR rate. Interest payments were made at the end of every month. The notional amounts in the respective currencies exchanged at the beginning of the cross-currency interest rate swap period were to be repaid at the end of the cross-currency interest rate swap period. The initial maturity of the cross-currency interest rate swap was October 31, 2022. In the second quarter of fiscal 2019, the cross-currency interest rate swap was discontinued and settled in cash for $5,110. The cash value at settlement was driven by changes in foreign currency exchange rates and debt markets from inception to settlement. There was no impact to net income upon settlement.

On February 25, 2014, we entered into an interest rate swap with an aggregate notional amount of $75,000 designated as a cash flow hedge to manage interest rate exposure on our floating rate LIBOR based debt under the Credit Agreement. The interest rate swap is an agreement to exchange payment streams based on the notional principal amount. This agreement fixes our future interest rate at 2.74% plus the applicable margin as provided in the Fifth Amendment discussed in Note 8 - Financing Arrangements, on an amount of our debt principal equal to the then-outstanding swap notional amount. The forward interest rate swap commenced on March 1, 2015 with an initial $25,000 base notional amount. The second notional amount of $25,000 commenced on September 1, 2015 and the final notional amount of $25,000 commenced on March 1, 2016. The base notional amount plus each incremental addition to the base notional amount has a five-year maturity of February 29, 2020, August 31, 2020 and February 28, 2021, respectively. On the date the interest swap was entered into, we designated the interest rate swap as a hedge of the variability of cash flows to be paid relative to our variable interest rate monies borrowed. Any ineffectiveness in the hedging relationship is recognized immediately into earnings.

Our derivatives at January 31, 2020 consist of interest rate swap contracts, all of which are over-the-counter and not traded through an exchange. The Company uses widely accepted valuation tools to determine fair value, such as discounting cash flows to calculate a present value for the derivatives. The models use Level 2 inputs, such as forward curves and other commonly quoted observable transactions and prices. The fair value of our derivatives and hedging instruments are all classified as Level 2 investments within the three-tier hierarchy.

The following table discloses the fair value and balance sheet location of our derivative instruments:



		Asset (Liability) Derivatives
		Balance Sheet Location	January 31, 2020			October 31, 2019
Cash Flow Hedging Instruments:
	Interest rate swap contracts	(Other liabilities) Other assets	$	(621	)	$	(814	)

As a result of the hedging relationships being highly effective, the net interest payments accrued each period are reflected in net income (loss) as adjustments of interest expense, and the remaining change in the fair value of the derivatives is recognized in accumulated other comprehensive loss ("AOCI").

Derivative activity is included in interest expense and cash paid for interest. The following table presents the effect of our derivative instruments on the condensed consolidated statements of operations and the effects of hedging on those line items:



Location	Three months ended January 31, 2020		Three Months Ended January 31, 2019
Interest expense	$	4,356	$	3,355
Effect of hedging on interest expense	$	175	$	(368	)