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Amazon is a U

Accounting

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Amazon is a U.S. based multinational technology company that was established in 1994.  Their corporate office is located in Seattle, Washington.  The company focuses on offering products like e-commerce, cloud computing, digital streaming, and artificial intelligence. 

1. Identify the location(s) in the annual report where the company provides disclosures related to its management of foreign exchange risk.

There are several places in their most recent annual report where they provide disclosures related to its management of foreign exchange risk.  The first place in the companies 2019 annual filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission that they mention foreign currency is the section 1A Risk Factors.  They indicate that their operations in foreign countries expose many risks.  This section mentions that there are “limitations on the repatriation and investment of funds and foreign currency exchange ristrictions” (Amazon, 2019, p. 10).  Their expectations of operations may be quite different than what was expected due to the fluctuations in the exchange rate.  Since their expansion into international markets have increased, they may report significant gains or losses on their financial statements.  The company also holds cash equivalents, marketable securities in foreign currencies including British pounds, Euros, and Japanese Yen. 

      Another place in the companies 2019 annual filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission that they mention of foreign currency is in the Statement of Cash Flows.  It is reported that in 2019, amounts held in foreign currencies were $15.3 billion which was an increase from 2018 at $13.8 billion.

1. Determine the types of hedging instruments the company uses and the types of hedges in which it engages.

“Financial instruments provide guidance on the accounting for hedging instruments including those used to hedge foreign exchange risk” (Hoyle et al., 2018).  The two most important financial instruments for hedging foreign exchange risk are foreign currency forward contracts and foreign currency options.  In the Notes to Financial Statements section under financial instruments, it is noted that they engage in equity securities, money market fund accounts, foreign government and agency securities, U.S. government securities, corporate debt securities, asset-backed securities, fixed income securities and equity securities as financial instruments (Amazon, 2019, p. 51)

1. Determine the manner in which the company discloses the fact that its foreign exchange hedges are effective in offsetting gains and losses on the underlying items being hedged.

The company mentions under Item 1A, Risk Factors, that due to fluctuations of products and services being offered, and that operating results may differ from their expectations, that they may have gains and loses on the their consolidated statements of operations (Amazon, 2019, p. 10).

From a Christian Worldview, people should handle and manage money properly and do what is ethically and morally right.  It is against God’s word to make things appear better than they are.  In this case, I am referring to the presentation of the financial statements.  “I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.” (King James Bible, 2020, Psalm 32:8).