Hedging instruments
Use of forward contracts remains a prevalent practice.
About one-third of companies use options to hedge balance sheet
exposures and 38% use options to hedge forecasted transactions.
In order to manage earnings more effectively, hedge accounting
under FAS 133 (ASC 815, but referred to throughout by its original
name) is employed more frequently by public firms with larger
revenues, as compared to private and/or smaller revenue companies.
Of the companies that hedge forecasted transactions, 68% hedge
exposures with maturities of twelve months or longer.