18 September Grasping Groupon’s Passive FX Risk Management September 18, 2017By FX Initiative FX Risk Management, General , 10 Q, Apple, Best Practices, Continuing Professional Education, CPE, Google, Groupon, Initiative, Losses, Management, Reporting, Risk, SEC, Currency, Earnings, Foreign Exchange, FX 0 FX Initiative analyzes how publicly traded companies manage foreign exchange risk. This analysis will focus on Groupon, a Chicago based worldwide e-commerce marketplace, and their passive approach to FX risk management. Using their 10-Q for the quarterly period ended June 30, 2017, let’s explore Groupon’s International segment and its FX impact on their Income Statement. The Income Statement shows a company’s revenues and expenses during a particular period. The Income Statement in simplest terms totals revenues and subtracts expenses to find the bottom line or net income for the period. Using Groupon’s reported numbers from their Securities and Exchange filing, their International segment’s Income Statement is as follows: Source: http://investor.groupon.com/secfiling.cfm?filingID=1490281-17-111 The words "foreign exchange", "foreign currency", and "FX" are mentioned 12 times in their earnings announcement, yet Groupon (unlike leading technology companies such as Apple and Google) is not managing their foreign exchange risk at all. Let’s examine Groupon’s FX risk profile by digging into their revenue, expense, and gross profit figures. Revenues - Groupon’s revenue increased $27 million in their International segment, but declined $13.8 million due to changes in foreign exchange rates. In other words, Groupon intentionally grew their International revenue by increasing transactions in their Goods category, but unintentionally lost over 50% of that growth due to unhedged foreign exchange risk. Expenses - Groupon’s International segment expenses (cost of revenue) increased $29.9 million, but declined $6.9 million due to changes in foreign exchange rates. This increase in expenses was attributable to increases in direct revenue transactions in their Goods category, and unhedged FX risk reduced those expenses favorably but unintentionally by roughly 23%. Gross Profit - Groupon’s International segment’s gross profit declined by over $19 million or nearly 10%, and $6.9 million was lost due to unhedged foreign exchange risk. Not only did Groupon’s International segment report lower gross profit across all three of their Local, Goods and Travel categories, they lost even more money as a result of not managing their FX risk exposures. Groupon’s International segment accounts for approximately 30% of their total revenue, which is a material amount. In comparison, Apple’s International sales accounted for 61% of their third quarter 2017 revenue, and they were awarded the Best Corporation in the World for FX Management by Global Finance Magazine in their 2017 Corporate FX Awards. Whether you are a shareholder, vendor, creditor, employee or layperson, do you think Groupon should be managing their foreign exchange risk? FX Initiative’s training uses real world examples from Apple to demonstrate how multinational corporations like Groupon can significantly improve their international performance by employing currency risk management best practices. If you are interested in learning how your organization can improve their foreign exchange risk management program, sign up for FX Initiative’s currency risk management training today. Our educational videos, interactive examples, and webinar events simplify complex FX risk management issues and equip you with actionable intelligence to effectively mitigate FX risk. Ready to learn FX Risk Management Best Practices? Click here to get started! The FX Initiative Team support@fxinitiative.com Related Posts FX Risk Management Maturity Model Foreign exchange (FX) risk management involves identifying, analyzing, and prioritizing various foreign currency exposures, and developing and implementing a coordinated and systematic plan that utilizes company resources efficiently and effectively to mitigate FX risk. The degree to which companies implement adequate foreign exchange risk management practices can vary substantially, from not managing the risk at all to engaging in robust hedging activities, and as a result, the impact on the bottom line can vary widely across organizations. This FX Risk Management Maturity Model outlines the 5 stages of a comprehensive currency risk management program. The process involves performing a FX risk assessment, developing a FX risk management policy, and implementing progressive FX hedging strategies. 5 Stage FX Risk Management Maturity Model FX Risk Assessment: Exposure Identification & Measurement FX Risk Management Policy: Hedging Guidelines & Procedures Balance Sheet Hedging: Booked Receivables & Payables Cash Flow Hedging: Forecasted Revenues & Expenses Net Investment Hedging: Subsidiary Earnings & Equity The design and implementation of a FX risk management program must take into account the specific goals and objectives of the firm, the organizational structure and operations, the line of products and/or services, ... FX Risk Management Maturity Model Foreign exchange (FX) risk management involves identifying, analyzing, and prioritizing various foreign currency exposures, and developing and implementing a coordinated and systematic plan that utilizes company resources efficiently and effectively to mitigate FX risk. The degree to which companies implement adequate foreign exchange risk management practices can vary substantially, from not managing the risk at all to engaging in robust hedging activities, and as a result, the impact on the bottom line can vary widely across organizations. This FX Risk Management Maturity Model outlines the 5 stages of a comprehensive currency risk management program. The process involves performing a FX risk assessment, developing a FX risk management policy, and implementing progressive FX hedging strategies. 5 Stage FX Risk Management Maturity Model FX Risk Assessment: Exposure Identification & Measurement FX Risk Management Policy: Hedging Guidelines & Procedures Balance Sheet Hedging: Booked Receivables & Payables Cash Flow Hedging: Forecasted Revenues & Expenses Net Investment Hedging: Subsidiary Earnings & Equity The design and implementation of a FX risk management program must take into account the specific goals and objectives of the firm, the organizational structure and operations, the line of products and/or services, ... FX Risk Management Maturity Model Foreign exchange (FX) risk management involves identifying, analyzing, and prioritizing various foreign currency exposures, and developing and implementing a coordinated and systematic plan that utilizes company resources efficiently and effectively to mitigate FX risk. The degree to which companies implement adequate foreign exchange risk management practices can vary substantially, from not managing the risk at all to engaging in robust hedging activities, and as a result, the impact on the bottom line can vary widely across organizations. This FX Risk Management Maturity Model outlines the 5 stages of a comprehensive currency risk management program. The process involves performing a FX risk assessment, developing a FX risk management policy, and implementing progressive FX hedging strategies. 5 Stage FX Risk Management Maturity Model FX Risk Assessment: Exposure Identification & Measurement FX Risk Management Policy: Hedging Guidelines & Procedures Balance Sheet Hedging: Booked Receivables & Payables Cash Flow Hedging: Forecasted Revenues & Expenses Net Investment Hedging: Subsidiary Earnings & Equity The design and implementation of a FX risk management program must take into account the specific goals and objectives of the firm, the organizational structure and operations, the line of products and/or services, ... FX Risk Management Maturity Model Foreign exchange (FX) risk management involves identifying, analyzing, and prioritizing various foreign currency exposures, and developing and implementing a coordinated and systematic plan that utilizes company resources efficiently and effectively to mitigate FX risk. The degree to which companies implement adequate foreign exchange risk management practices can vary substantially, from not managing the risk at all to engaging in robust hedging activities, and as a result, the impact on the bottom line can vary widely across organizations. This FX Risk Management Maturity Model outlines the 5 stages of a comprehensive currency risk management program. The process involves performing a FX risk assessment, developing a FX risk management policy, and implementing progressive FX hedging strategies. 5 Stage FX Risk Management Maturity Model FX Risk Assessment: Exposure Identification & Measurement FX Risk Management Policy: Hedging Guidelines & Procedures Balance Sheet Hedging: Booked Receivables & Payables Cash Flow Hedging: Forecasted Revenues & Expenses Net Investment Hedging: Subsidiary Earnings & Equity The design and implementation of a FX risk management program must take into account the specific goals and objectives of the firm, the organizational structure and operations, the line of products and/or services, ... CPE Webinar: Mastering Currency Risk Management Program Overview FX Initiative cordially invites you to attend our webinar titled “Mastering Currency Risk Management." Join us for a continuing professional education (CPE) program and earn CPE credit as we address the fundamental concepts of corporate foreign exchange (FX) risk management. This informational session will share best practices on how to identify, analyze, execute, and optimize a foreign exchange (FX) risk management program. Participants will learn how to assess a firm’s FX risk profile using a step-by-step analysis framework, the four approaches for managing FX risk, the impact FX risk has on the financial statements, and key terminology and takeaways for building a world class FX risk management program. Learning Objectives Discover how leading multinational corporations identify foreign exchange (FX) risk, including transaction, translation, and economic risk. Explore how to analyze FX risk management strategies, including balance sheet hedging, cash flow hedging, and net investment hedging. Identify key considerations when executing FX risk management plans, including the importance of strategy, policy and financial reporting. Recognize approaches to optimizing FX risk management plans by investing in personnel, resources, and operations to improve results. Who Should Attend? New and seasoned finance, accounting, treasury, and ... CPE Webinar Invite: Mastering Currency Risk Management Program Overview FX Initiative cordially invites you to attend our webinar titled “Mastering Currency Risk Management” on Thursday, January 28th, 2021. Join us for a continuing professional education (CPE) program and earn CPE credit as we address the fundamental concepts of corporate foreign exchange (FX) risk management. This informational session will share best practices on how to identify, analyze, execute, and optimize a foreign exchange (FX) risk management program. Participants will learn how to assess a firm’s FX risk profile using a step-by-step analysis framework, the four approaches for managing FX risk, the impact FX risk has on the financial statements, and key terminology and takeaways for building a world class FX risk management program. Learning Objectives Discover how leading multinational corporations identify foreign exchange (FX) risk, including transaction, translation, and economic risk. Explore how to analyze FX risk management strategies, including balance sheet hedging, cash flow hedging, and net investment hedging. Identify key considerations when executing FX risk management plans, including the importance of strategy, policy and financial reporting. Recognize approaches to optimizing FX risk management plans by investing in personnel, resources, and operations to improve results. Who Should Attend? New and ... Comments are closed.