The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. 2007 Annual Report
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Form 10-K

NOTE 9 - FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS
Derivative Financial Instruments
The Company addresses certain financial exposures through a controlled program of risk management that includes the use of derivative financial instruments. The Company primarily enters into foreign currency forward exchange contracts and foreign currency options to reduce the effects of fluctuating foreign currency exchange rates. The Company, if necessary, enters into interest rate derivatives to manage the effects of interest rate movements on the Company's aggregate liability portfolio. The Company categorizes these instruments as entered into for purposes other than trading.

All derivatives are recognized at their fair value and are included in prepaid expenses and other current assets or other accrued liabilities in the accompanying balance sheets. The associated gains and losses on these derivatives are recorded in cost of goods sold and selling, general and administrative expenses in the accompanying statements of earnings. On the date the derivative contract is entered into, the Company designates the derivative as (i) a hedge of the fair value of a recognized asset or liability or of an unrecognized firm commitment ("fair-value" hedge), (ii) a hedge of a forecasted transaction or of the variability of cash flows to be received or paid related to a recognized asset or liability ("cash-flow" hedge), (iii) a foreign-currency fair-value or cash-flow hedge ("foreign-currency" hedge), (iv) a hedge of a net investment in a foreign operation, or (v) other. Changes in the fair value of a derivative that is highly effective as (and that is designated and qualifies as) a fair-value hedge, along with the loss or gain on the hedged asset or liability that is attributable to the hedged risk (including losses or gains on firm commitments), are recorded in current-period earnings. Changes in the fair value of a derivative that is highly effective as (and that is designated and qualifies as) a cash-flow hedge are recorded in other comprehensive income, until earnings are affected by the variability of cash flows (e.g., when periodic settlements on a variable-rate asset or liability are recorded in earnings). Changes in the fair value of derivatives that are highly effective as (and that are designated and qualify as) foreign-currency hedges are recorded in either current-period earnings or other comprehensive income, depending on whether the hedge transaction is a fair-value hedge (e.g., a hedge of a firm commitment that is to be settled in a foreign currency) or a cash-flow hedge (e.g., a foreigncurrency- denominated forecasted transaction). If, however, a derivative is used as a hedge of a net investment in a foreign operation, its changes in fair value, to the extent effective as a hedge, are recorded in accumulated other comprehensive income within equity. Furthermore, changes in the fair value of other derivative instruments are reported in current-period earnings.

For each derivative contract entered into where the Company looks to obtain special hedge accounting treatment, the Company formally documents all relationships between hedging instruments and hedged items, as well as its risk-management objective and strategy for undertaking the hedge transaction, the nature of the risk being hedged, how the hedging instruments' effectiveness in offsetting the hedged risk will be assessed prospectively and retrospectively, and a description of the method of measuring ineffectiveness. This process includes linking all derivatives that are designated as fair-value, cash-flow, or foreign-currency hedges to specific assets and liabilities on the balance sheet or to specific firm commitments or forecasted transactions. The Company also formally assesses, both at the hedge's inception and on an ongoing basis, whether the derivatives that are used in hedging transactions are highly effective in offsetting changes in fair values or cash flows of hedged items. If it is determined that a derivative is not highly effective, or that it has ceased to be a highly effective hedge, the Company will be required to discontinue hedge accounting with respect to that derivative prospectively.

Foreign Exchange Risk Management
The Company enters into forward exchange contracts to hedge anticipated transactions, as well as receivables and payables denominated in foreign currencies, for periods consistent with the Company's identified exposures. The purpose of the hedging activities is to minimize the effect of foreign exchange rate movements on costs and on the cash flows that the Company receives from foreign subsidiaries. Almost all foreign currency contracts are denominated in currencies of major industrial countries and are with large financial institutions rated as strong investment grade by a major rating agency. The Company also enters into foreign currency options to hedge anticipated transactions where there is a high probability that anticipated exposures will materialize. The forward exchange contracts and foreign currency options entered into to hedge anticipated transactions have been designated as cash-flow hedges. Hedge effectiveness of forward exchange contracts is based on a hypothetical derivative methodology and excludes the portion of fair value attributable to the spot-forward difference which is recorded in current-period earnings. Hedge effectiveness of foreign currency option contracts is based on a dollar offset methodology. The ineffective portion of both forward exchange and foreign currency option contracts is recorded in current-period earnings. For hedge contracts that are no longer deemed highly effective, hedge accounting is discontinued and gains and losses accumulated in other comprehensive income are reclassified to earnings when the underlying forecasted transaction occurs. If it is probable that the forecasted transaction will no longer occur, then any gains or losses accumulated in other comprehensive income are reclassified to current-period earnings. As of June 30, 2007, these cash-flow hedges were highly effective, in all material respects.

As a matter of policy, the Company only enters into contracts with counterparties that have at least an "A" (or equivalent) credit rating. The counterparties to these contracts are major financial institutions. The Company does not have significant exposure to any one counterparty. Exposure to credit loss in the event of nonperformance by any of the counterparties is limited to only the recognized, but not realized, gains attributable to the contracts. Management believes risk of loss under these hedging contracts is remote and in any event would not be material to the Company's consolidated financial results. The contracts have varying maturities through the end of June 2008. Costs associated with entering into such contracts have not been material to the Company's consolidated financial results. The Company does not utilize derivative financial instruments for trading or speculative purposes.

At June 30, 2007, the Company had foreign currency contracts in the form of forward exchange contracts in the amount of $862.0 million. The foreign currencies included in forward exchange contracts (notional value stated in U.S. dollars) are principally the British pound ($148.1 million), Canadian dollar ($140.3 million), Euro ($124.1 million), Swiss franc ($113.1 million), Australian dollar ($79.3 million), Japanese yen ($42.6 million) and South Korean won ($33.6 million). As of June 30, 2007, all of the Company's previously outstanding option contracts have matured.

At June 30, 2006, the Company had foreign currency contracts in the form of forward exchange contracts and option contracts in the amount of $782.6 million and $130.2 million, respectively. The foreign currencies included in forward exchange contracts (notional value stated in U.S. dollars) are principally the Euro ($238.5 million), Swiss franc ($98.5 million), British pound ($92.4 million), Canadian dollar ($71.7 million), Japanese yen ($50.6 million), Australian dollar ($50.5 million) and South Korean won ($33.1 million). The foreign currencies included in the option contracts (notional value stated in U.S. dollars) are principally the Japanese yen ($32.0 million), Euro ($27.7 million), Canadian dollar ($22.8 million), Swiss franc ($14.8 million) and South Korean won ($13.4 million).

Interest Rate Risk Management
The Company enters into interest rate derivative contracts to manage the exposure to fluctuations of interest rates on its funded and unfunded indebtedness for periods consistent with the identified exposures. All interest rate derivative contracts are with large financial institutions rated as strong investment grade by a major rating agency.

In April 2007, the Company entered into interest rate swap agreements with a notional amount totaling $250.0 million to effectively convert the fixed rate interest on its 2017 Senior Notes to variable interest rates based on sixmonth LIBOR. The interest rate swaps were designated as fair-value hedges. As of June 30, 2007, these fair-value hedges were highly effective in all material respects.

In April 2007, the Company terminated an interest-rate swap agreement with a notional amount of $250.0 million to effectively convert fixed rate interest on its 2012 Senior Notes to variable interest rates based on six-month LIBOR. This instrument was classified as a liability and had a termination fair value of $11.1 million at cash settlement, which included $0.9 million of accrued interest payable to the counterparty. Hedge accounting treatment was discontinued prospectively and the offsetting adjustment to the carrying amount of the related debt will be amortized to interest expense over the remaining life of the debt.

Information regarding the Company's interest rate swap agreements is presented in the following table:

Fair Value of Financial Instruments
The following methods and assumptions were used to estimate the fair value of each class of financial instruments for which it is practicable to estimate that value:

Cash and cash equivalents:
The carrying amount approximates fair value, primarily because of the short maturity of cash equivalent instruments.

Short-term and long-term debt:
The fair value of the Company's debt was estimated based on the current rates offered to the Company for debt with the same remaining maturities. To a lesser extent, debt also includes capital lease obligations for which the carrying amount approximates the fair value.

Foreign exchange and interest rate contracts:
The fair value of forwards, swaps and options is the estimated amount the Company would receive or pay to terminate the agreements.

The estimated fair values of the Company's financial instruments are as follows: