F-40
current liability. Pledged margin collateral is not recorded in
our Consolidated Balance Sheets as all risks and rewards of
collateral ownership, including interest, belong to the
counterparty. Assets pledged are held at a nominee account in
Nasdaq Clearing’s name for the benefit of the clearing members
and are immediately accessible by Nasdaq Clearing in the event
of a default.
Nasdaq Clearing marks to market all outstanding contracts and
requires payment from clearing members whose positions have
lost value. The mark-to-market process helps identify any
clearing members that may not be able to satisfy their financial
obligations in a timely manner allowing Nasdaq Clearing the
ability to mitigate the risk of a clearing member defaulting due
to exceptionally large losses. In the event of a default, Nasdaq
Clearing can access the defaulting member’s margin deposits
to cover the defaulting member’s losses.
Regulatory Capital and Risk Management Calculations
Nasdaq Clearing manages risk through a comprehensive
counterparty risk management framework, which is comprised
of policies, procedures, standards and financial resources. The
level of regulatory capital is determined in accordance with
Nasdaq Clearing’s regulatory capital policy, as approved by the
SFSA. Regulatory capital calculations are continuously
updated through a proprietary capital-at-risk calculation model
that establishes the appropriate level of capital.
As mentioned above, Nasdaq Clearing is the legal counterparty
for each contract traded and thereby guarantees the fulfillment
of each contract. Nasdaq Clearing accounts for this guarantee
as a performance guarantee. We determine the fair value of the
performance guarantee by considering daily settlement of
contracts and other margining and default fund requirements,
the risk management program, historical evidence of default
payments, and the estimated probability of potential default
payouts. The calculation is determined using proprietary risk
management software that simulates gains and losses based on
historical market prices, extreme but plausible market
scenarios, volatility and other factors present at that point in
time for those particular unsettled contracts. Based on this
analysis, the estimated liability was nominal and no liability
was recorded as of
December 31, 2016.
The market value of derivative contracts outstanding prior to
netting was as follows:
December 31, 2016
(in millions)
Commodity and seafood options,
futures
and forwards
(1)(2)(3)
$
613
Fixed-income
options and futures
(1)(2)
727
Stock options and futures
(1)(2)
151
Index options and futures
(1)(2)
116
Total
$
1,607
____________
(1)
We determined the fair value of our option contracts using
standard valuation models that were based on market-
based observable inputs including implied volatility,
interest rates and the spot price of the underlying
instrument.
(2)
We determined the fair value of our futures contracts based
upon quoted market prices and average quoted market
yields.
(3)
We determined the fair value of our forward contracts using
standard valuation models that were based on market-
based observable inputs including LIBOR rates and the
spot price of the underlying instrument.
The total number of derivative contracts cleared through
Nasdaq Clearing for the years ended December 31, 2016 and
2015 was as follows:
December 31,
2016
December 31,
2015
Commodity
and seafood
options, futures and
forwards
(1)
3,530,746
3,055,073
Fixed-income
options and
futures
14,639,065
19,631,917
Stock options and futures
28,496,143
33,455,560
Index options and futures
50,636,527
49,771,223
Total
97,302,481
105,913,773
____________
(1)
The total volume in cleared power related to commodity
contracts was 1,658 Terawatt hours (TWh) for the year
ended December 31, 2016 and 1,496 TWh for the year
ended December 31, 2015.
The outstanding contract value of resale and repurchase
agreements was $1.9 billion as of December 31, 2016 and $1.1
billion at December 31, 2015. The total number of contracts
cleared was 7,941,666 for the year ended December 31, 2016
and was 7,908,873 for the year ended December 31, 2015.
Power of Assessment
To further strengthen the contingent financial resources of the
clearinghouse, Nasdaq Clearing has power of assessment that
provides the ability to collect additional funds from its clearing
members to cover a defaulting member’s remaining obligations
up to the limits established under the terms of the clearinghouse
rules. The power of assessment corresponds to 100.0% of the
clearing member’s aggregate contribution to the financial,
commodities and seafood markets’ default funds.
Liability Waterfall
The liability waterfall is the priority order in which the capital
resources would be utilized in the event of a default where the
defaulting clearing member’s collateral would not be sufficient
to cover the cost to settle its portfolio. If a default occurs and
the defaulting clearing member’s collateral, including cash
deposits and pledged assets, is depleted, then capital is utilized
in the following amount and order:
•
junior capital contributed by Nasdaq Clearing, which
totaled $18 million at December 31, 2016;