NOTE 3 – DERIVATIVE INSTRUMENTS AND HEDGING ACTIVITIES

The following table presents the fair value of our derivative instruments and the classification of each on the Statements of Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Position as of September 30, 2011 and December 31, 2010:

There were no derivative instruments classified as a liability as of December 31, 2010.

Derivatives Designated as Hedging Instruments

Cash Flow Hedge

sAs of September 30, 2011, we had outstanding foreign currency exchange contracts with a notional amount of $315 million in the form of forward contracts with varying maturity dates ranging from October 2011 to September 2012. This compares with outstanding foreign currency exchange contracts with a notional amount of $70 million as of December 31, 2010.

Changes in fair value of highly effective hedges are recorded as a component of Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) on the Statements of Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Position. Unrealized losses of $15.2 million and $10.3 million, respectively, were recorded for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2011 related to these hedge contracts, based on the Australian to U.S. dollar spot rate of 0.97 as of September 30, 2011. Any ineffectiveness is recognized immediately in income and as of September 30, 2011, there was no ineffectiveness recorded for these foreign exchange contracts. Amounts recorded as a component of Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) are reclassified into earnings in the same period the forecasted transaction affects earnings and are recorded as Product Revenues on the Statements of Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Operations. For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2011, we recorded realized gains of $1.8 million and $4.0 million, respectively. Of the amounts remaining in Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss), we estimate that net losses of $10.3 million will be reclassified into earnings within the next 12 months.

The following summarizes the effect of our derivatives designated as hedging instruments on Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) and the Statements of Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Operations for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2011 and 2010:

Derivatives Not Designated as Hedging Instruments

Australian Dollar Foreign Exchange Contracts

Effective July 1, 2008, we discontinued hedge accounting for all outstanding foreign currency exchange contracts entered into at the time and continued to hold such instruments as economic hedges to manage currency risk as described above. The notional amount of the outstanding non-designated foreign exchange contracts was $45 million as of September 30, 2011. The contracts are in the form of collar options with varying maturity dates ranging from October 2011 to January 2012. This compares with outstanding non-designated foreign exchange contracts with a notional amount of $230 million as of December 31, 2010.

As a result of discontinuing hedge accounting, the instruments are prospectively marked to fair value each reporting period through Changes in fair value of foreign currency contracts, net on the Statements of Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Operations. For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2011, the change in fair value of our foreign currency contracts resulted in net losses of $6.2 million and net gains of $7.4 million, respectively, based on the Australian to U.S. dollar spot rate of 0.97 at September 30, 2011. This compares with net gains of $32.5 million and $24.8 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2010, respectively, based on the Australian to U.S. dollar spot rate of 0.97 at September 30, 2010. The amounts that were previously recorded as a component of Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) were all reclassified to earnings as of June 30, 2011, with a corresponding realized gain or loss recognized in the same period the forecasted transaction affected earnings.

Canadian Dollar Foreign Exchange Contracts and Options

On January 11, 2011, we entered into a definitive arrangement agreement with Consolidated Thompson to acquire all of its common shares in an all-cash transaction, including net debt. We hedged a portion of the purchase price on the open market by entering into foreign currency exchange forward contracts and an option contract with a combined notional amount of C$4.7 billion. The hedge contracts were considered economic hedges which do not qualify for hedge accounting. The forward contracts had various maturity dates and the option contract had a maturity date of April 14, 2011.

During the first half of 2011, swaps were executed in order to extend the maturity dates of certain of the forward contracts through the consummation of the Consolidated Thompson acquisition and the repayment of the Consolidated Thompson convertible debentures. These swaps and the maturity of the forward contracts resulted in net realized gains of $93.1 million recognized through Changes in fair value of foreign currency contracts, net on the Statements of Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Operations for the nine months ended September 30, 2011.

Customer Supply Agreements

Most of our U.S. Iron Ore long-term supply agreements are comprised of a base price with annual price adjustment factors, some of which are subject to annual price collars in order to limit the percentage increase or decrease in prices for our iron ore pellets during any given year. The price adjustment factors vary based on the agreement but typically include adjustments based upon changes in international pellet prices, changes in specified Producers Price Indices including those for all commodities, industrial commodities, energy and steel. The adjustments generally operate in the same manner, with each factor typically comprising a portion of the price adjustment, although the weighting of each factor varies based upon the specific terms of each agreement. The price adjustment factors have been evaluated to determine if they contain embedded derivatives. The price adjustment factors share the same economic characteristics and risks as the host contract and are integral to the host contract as inflation adjustments; accordingly, they have not been separately valued as derivative instruments.

Certain supply agreements with one U.S. Iron Ore customer provide for supplemental revenue or refunds based on the customer's average annual steel pricing at the time the product is consumed in the customer's blast furnace. The supplemental pricing is characterized as a freestanding derivative and is required to be accounted for separately once the product is shipped. The derivative instrument, which is finalized based on a future price, is marked to fair value as a revenue adjustment each reporting period until the pellets are consumed and the amounts are settled. We recognized $53.8 million and $124.9 million, respectively, as Product revenues on the Statements of Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Operations for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2011, related to the supplemental payments. This compares with Product revenues of $25.1 million and $93.4 million, respectively, for the comparable periods in 2010. Derivative assets, representing the fair value of the pricing factors, were $67.8 million and $45.6 million, respectively, on the September 30, 2011 and December 31, 2010 Statements of Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Position.

Provisional Pricing Arrangements

During 2010, the world's largest iron ore producers began to move away from the annual international benchmark pricing mechanism referenced in certain of our customer supply agreements, resulting in a shift in the industry toward shorter-term pricing arrangements linked to the spot market. This change has impacted certain of our U.S. Iron Ore and Eastern Canadian Iron Ore customer supply agreements for the 2011 contract year. We have reached final pricing settlement with a majority of our U.S. Iron Ore customers through the third quarter of 2011. However, in some cases we are still in the process of revising the terms of our customer supply agreements to incorporate changes to historical pricing mechanisms. As a result, we have recorded certain shipments made to our U.S. Iron Ore and Eastern Canadian Iron Ore customers in the first nine months of 2011 on a provisional basis until final settlement is reached. The pricing provisions are characterized as freestanding derivatives and are required to be accounted for separately once the product is shipped. The derivative instrument, which is settled and billed once final pricing settlement is reached, is marked to fair value as a revenue adjustment each reporting period based upon the estimated forward settlement until prices are actually settled. We recognized $193.0 million and $623.5 million, respectively, as an increase in Product revenues on the Statements of Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Operations for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2011 under these pricing provisions for certain shipments to our U.S. Iron Ore and Eastern Canadian Iron Ore customers. For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2011, $309.4 million of the revenues were realized due to the pricing settlements that occurred with the majority of our U.S. Iron Ore customers during the third quarter of 2011. This compares with an increase in Product revenues of $229.2 million and $960.7 million, respectively, for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2010 related to estimated forward price settlements for shipments to our Asia Pacific Iron Ore, U.S. Iron Ore and Eastern Canadian Iron Ore customers until prices actually settled. For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2010, $455.7 million of the revenues were realized due to pricing settlements.

As of September 30, 2011, we have derivatives of $49.0 million classified as Accounts receivable on the Statements of Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Position to reflect the amount we have provisionally agreed upon with certain of our U.S. Iron Ore and Eastern Canadian Iron Ore customers until a final price settlement is reached. It also represents the amount we have invoiced for shipments made to such customers and expect to collect in cash in the short-term to fund operations. As the amounts provisionally agreed upon with such customers are in line with our estimated forward settlement of the provisional prices, no incremental amounts were recorded as current Derivative assets on the Statements of Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Position as of September 30, 2011. In 2010, the derivative instrument was settled in the fourth quarter upon the settlement of pricing provisions with some of our U.S. Iron Ore customers and therefore is not reflected in the Statements of Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Position at December 31, 2010.

The following summarizes the effect of our derivatives that are not designated as hedging instruments, on the Statements of Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Operations for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2011 and 2010:

Refer to NOTE 7 – FAIR VALUE OF FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS for additional information.