December 31 June 30
2015 2016
----------- -----------
Cash $ 476.1 $ 403.1
Cash equivalents 69.2 69.8
----------- -----------
$ 545.3 $ 472.9
=========== ===========
Our current portfolio consists of bank deposits and certain money market funds that primarily hold U.S. government securities. The majority of our cash and cash equivalents is held with financial institutions each of which had at June 30, 2016 a Standard and Poor's short-term rating of A-1 or above.
Interest rate risk:
Borrowings under our credit facility bear interest at specified rates, plus specified margins. See note 7. Our borrowings under this facility, which at June 30, 2016 totalled $280.0 (December 31, 2015 -- $262.5), expose us to interest rate risk due to potential increases to the specified rates and margins.
Currency risk:
Due to the global nature of our operations, we are exposed to exchange rate fluctuations on our financial instruments denominated in various currencies. The majority of our currency risk is driven by operational costs, including income tax expense, incurred in local currencies by our subsidiaries. As part of our risk management program, we attempt to mitigate currency risk through a hedging program using forecasts of our anticipated future cash flows and balance sheet exposures denominated in foreign currencies. We enter into foreign exchange forward contracts, generally for periods up to 15 months, to lock in the exchange rates for future foreign currency transactions, which is intended to reduce the variability of our operating costs and future cash flows denominated in local currencies. While these contracts are intended to reduce the effects of fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates, our hedging strategy does not mitigate the longer-term impacts of changes to foreign exchange rates. Although our functional currency is the U.S. dollar, currency risk on our income tax expense arises as we are generally required to file our tax returns in the local currency for each particular country in which we have operations. While our hedging program is designed to mitigate currency risk vis-�nbsp;-vis the U.S. dollar, we remain subject to taxable foreign exchange impacts in our translated local currency financial results relevant for tax reporting purposes.
Our major currency exposures at June 30, 2016 are summarized in U.S. dollar equivalents in the following table. We have included in this table only those items that we classify as financial assets or liabilities and which were denominated in non-functional currencies. In accordance with the IFRS financial instruments standard, we have excluded items such as pension and non-pension post-employment benefits and income taxes from the table below. The local currency amounts have been converted to U.S. dollar equivalents using spot rates at June 30, 2016.
Canadian Thai
dollar Euro baht
---------- ---------- ----------
Cash and cash equivalents $ 9.6 $ 10.2 $ 0.7
Accounts receivable and other financial
assets 3.1 29.0 1.6
Accounts payable and certain accrued and
other liabilities and provisions (36.4) (24.5) (16.6)
---------- ---------- ----------
Net financial assets (liabilities) $ (23.7) $ 14.7 $ (14.3)
========== ========== ==========
Foreign currency risk sensitivity analysis:
The financial impact of a one-percentage point strengthening or weakening of the following currencies against the U.S. dollar for our financial instruments denominated in such non-functional currencies is summarized in the following table as at June 30, 2016. The financial instruments impacted by a change in exchange rates include our exposures to the above financial assets or liabilities denominated in non-functional currencies and our foreign exchange forward contracts.
Canadian Thai
dollar Euro baht
---------- ---------- ----------
Increase (decrease)
1% Strengthening
Net earnings $ 1.3 $ (0.2) $ 0.1
Other comprehensive income 1.3 0.1 0.7
1% Weakening
Net earnings (1.3) 0.2 (0.1)
Other comprehensive income (1.3) (0.1) (0.7)
At June 30, 2016, we had forward exchange contracts to trade U.S. dollars in exchange for the following currencies:
Weighted
average
exchange
Contract rate Maximum
amount in in period in Fair value
Currency U.S. dollars U.S. dollars months gain (loss)
---------------------------------- ------------ ----------- -------------
Canadian dollar $ 293.5 $ 0.76 12 $ 2.9
Thai baht 95.6 0.03 12 0.2
Malaysian ringgit 71.8 0.24 12 1.7
Mexican peso 23.2 0.06 12 (1.2)
British pound 113.4 1.39 4 2.7
Chinese renminbi 92.9 0.15 12 (0.8)
Euro 59.4 1.13 11 0.3
Romanian leu 22.0 0.25 11 (0.2)
Singapore dollar 21.6 0.72 12 0.6
Other 13.0 5 (0.7)
------------ -------------
Total $ 806.4 $ 5.5
------------ -------------
At June 30, 2016, the fair value of the outstanding contracts was a net unrealized gain of $5.5 (December 31, 2015 -- net unrealized loss of $24.0). Changes in the fair value of hedging derivatives to which we apply cash flow hedge accounting, to the extent effective, are deferred in other comprehensive income until the expenses or items being hedged are recognized in our consolidated statement of operations. Any hedge ineffectiveness, which at June 30, 2016 was not significant, is recognized immediately in our consolidated statement of operations. At June 30, 2016, we recorded $13.2 of derivative assets in other current assets, and $7.7 of derivative liabilities in accrued and other current liabilities (December 31, 2015 -- $2.8 of derivative assets in other current assets and $26.8 of derivative liabilities in accrued and other current and non-current liabilities). The unrealized gains or losses are a result of fluctuations in foreign exchange rates between the date the currency forward contracts were entered into and the valuation date at period end.
12. CONTINGENCIES
Litigation
In the normal course of our operations, we may be subject to lawsuits, investigations and other claims, including environmental, labor, product, customer disputes and other matters. Management believes that adequate provisions have been recorded in the accounts where required. Although it is not always possible to estimate the extent of potential costs, if any, management believes that the ultimate resolution of all such pending matters will not have a material adverse impact on our financial performance, financial position or liquidity.
Commencing in 2007, securities class action lawsuits were brought against us and certain of our officers, a director and Onex Corporation in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, alleging violations of United States federal securities laws. In 2015, a settlement of the consolidated class action lawsuits was reached and the District Court granted final approval of the settlement in July 2015. The time for any appeal from the approval of the settlement had expired without any appeal having been filed. The settlement payment to the plaintiffs was paid by our liability insurance carriers in 2015.
In 2007, parallel class proceedings were initiated against us and our former Chief Executive and Chief Financial Officers in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice. These proceedings are not affected by the settlement discussed above. On October 15, 2012, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice granted limited aspects of the defendants' motion to strike, but dismissed the defendants' limitation period argument. The defendants' appeal of the limitation period issue was dismissed on February 3, 2014 when the Court of Appeal for Ontario overturned its own prior decision on the limitation period issue. On August 7, 2014, the defendants were granted leave to appeal the decision to the Supreme Court of Canada, together with two other cases that dealt with the limitation period issue. The Supreme Court of Canada heard the appeal on February 9, 2015. The Supreme Court of Canada released its decision on December 4, 2015, allowing the defendants' appeal and holding that the statutory claims of the plaintiff and the class under the Ontario Securities Act are barred by the applicable limitation period. In an earlier decision dated February 14, 2014, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice denied certification of the plaintiffs' common law claims. No party appealed that decision. We are seeking our costs of the Supreme Court proceedings and the proceedings below. It is too early to assess the quantum of costs that may be awarded, if any. The Canadian plaintiff initiated a second motion to certify its common law claims, which was quashed by a decision of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice on May 24, 2016.
Income taxes
We are subject to tax audits globally by various tax authorities of historical information, which could result in additional tax expense in future periods relating to prior results. Reviews by tax authorities generally focus on, but are not limited to, the validity of our inter-company transactions, including financing and transfer pricing policies which generally involve subjective areas of taxation and a significant degree of judgment. If any of these tax authorities are successful with their challenges, our income tax expense may be adversely affected and we could also be subject to interest and penalty charges.
Tax authorities in Canada have taken the position that income reported by one of our Canadian subsidiaries should have been materially higher in 2001 and 2002 and materially lower in 2003 and 2004 as a result of certain inter-company transactions, and have imposed limitations on benefits associated with favorable adjustments arising from inter-company transactions and other adjustments. We have appealed this decision with the Canadian tax authorities and have sought assistance from the relevant Competent Authorities in resolving the transfer pricing matter under relevant treaty principles. We could be required to provide security up to an estimated maximum range of $20 million to $25 million Canadian dollars (approximately $15 to $19 at period-end exchange rates) in the form of letters of credit to the tax authorities in connection with the transfer pricing appeal, however, we do not believe that such security will be required. If the tax authorities are successful with their challenge, we estimate that the maximum net impact for additional income taxes and interest charges associated with the proposed limitations of the favorable adjustments could be approximately $41 million Canadian dollars (approximately $32 at period-end exchange rates). Resolution of these matters is currently anticipated during the remainder of 2016.
Canadian tax authorities have taken the position that certain interest amounts deducted by one of our Canadian entities in 2002 through 2004 on historical debt instruments should be re-characterized as capital losses. If the tax authorities are successful with their challenge, we estimate that the maximum net impact for additional income taxes and interest charges could be approximately $33 million Canadian dollars (approximately $25 at period-end exchange rates). We have appealed this decision with the Canadian tax authorities and have provided the requisite security to the tax authorities, including a letter of credit in January 2014 of $5 million Canadian dollars (approximately $4 at period-end exchange rates), in addition to amounts previously on account, in order to proceed with the appeal. We believe that our asserted position is appropriate and would be sustained upon full examination by the tax authorities and, if necessary, upon consideration by the judicial courts. Our position is supported by our Canadian legal tax advisors.
The successful pursuit of the assertions made by any taxing authority related to the above noted tax audits or others could result in our owing significant amounts of tax, interest and possibly penalties. We believe we have substantial defenses to the asserted positions and have adequately accrued for any probable potential adverse tax impact. However, there can be no assurance as to the final resolution of these claims and any resulting proceedings. If these claims and any ensuing proceedings are determined adversely to us, the amounts we may be required to pay could be material, and could be in excess of amounts currently accrued.
If you wish to stop receiving these types of messages from us, you can unsubscribe at any time by emailing
rcolaco@celestica.com .
