Time Warner Cable (TWC)

 

The Company recognizes all derivative financial instruments in the consolidated balance sheet as either assets or liabilities at fair value. Derivative financial instruments are specifically designated, if certain conditions are met, as (a) a hedge of the exposure to changes in the fair value of a recognized asset or liability or an unrecognized firm commitment (a “fair value hedge”) or (b) a hedge of the exposure to variable cash flows of a forecasted transaction or a hedge of the foreign currency exposure of a forecasted transaction denominated in a foreign currency (a “cash flow hedge”). For a derivative financial instrument designated as a fair value hedge, the gain or loss on the derivative financial instrument is recognized in earnings in the period of change together with the offsetting loss or gain on the hedged item attributable to the risk being hedged. As a result, the consolidated statement of operations includes the impact of changes in the fair value of both the derivative financial instrument and the hedged item, which reflects in earnings the extent to which the hedge is ineffective in achieving offsetting changes in fair value. For a derivative financial instrument designated as a cash flow hedge, the effective portion of the gain or loss on the derivative financial instrument is initially reported in equity as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) (“accumulated OCI”) and subsequently reclassified into earnings when the hedged item (e.g., a forecasted transaction denominated in a foreign currency) affects earnings. The ineffective portion of the gain or loss is reported in earnings immediately. For a derivative financial instrument not designated as a hedging instrument, the gain or loss is recognized in earnings in the period of change. The Company uses derivative financial instruments primarily to manage the risks associated with fluctuations in interest rates and foreign currency exchange rates and does not hold or issue derivative financial instruments for speculative or trading purposes. Refer to Note 8 for further details regarding the Company’s derivative financial instruments.