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FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS
 12 Months Ended
Oct. 31, 2020
Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]  
FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS
The authoritative guidance defines fair value as the price that would be received from selling an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. When determining the fair value measurements for assets and liabilities required or permitted to be recorded at fair value, we consider the principal or most advantageous market and assumptions that market participants would use when pricing the asset or liability.

Fair Value Hierarchy

The guidance establishes a fair value hierarchy that prioritizes the use of inputs used in valuation techniques into three levels. A financial instrument's categorization within the fair value hierarchy is based upon the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value measurement. There are three levels of inputs that may be used to measure fair value:

Level 1 — applies to assets or liabilities for which there are quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.

Level 2 — applies to assets or liabilities for which there are inputs other than quoted prices included within level 1 that are observable, either directly or indirectly, for the asset or liability such as: quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities in active markets; quoted prices for identical or similar assets or liabilities in less active markets; or other inputs that can be derived principally from, or corroborated by, observable market data.

Level 3 — applies to assets or liabilities for which there are unobservable inputs to the valuation methodology that are significant to the measurement of the fair value of the assets or liabilities.
Financial Assets and Liabilities Measured at Fair Value on a Recurring Basis

Financial assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis as of October 31, 2020 were as follows:

  Fair Value Measurement at October 31, 2020 Using
 October 31,
2020		Quoted Prices
in Active
Markets for
Identical Assets
(Level 1)		Significant
Other
Observable
Inputs
(Level 2)		Significant
Unobservable
Inputs
(Level 3)
 (in millions)
Assets:    
Short-term    
Cash equivalents (money market funds)$740 $740 $— $— 
Derivative instruments (foreign exchange contracts)2 — 2 — 
Long-term    
Trading securities30 30 — — 
Other investments25 — 25 — 
Total assets measured at fair value$797 $770 $27 $— 
Liabilities:    
Short-term    
Derivative instruments (foreign exchange contracts)$17 $— $17 $— 
Long-term    
Deferred compensation liability30 — 30 — 
Total liabilities measured at fair value$47 $— $47 $— 

Financial assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis as of October 31, 2019 were as follows:

  Fair Value Measurement
at October 31, 2019 Using
 October 31,
2019		Quoted Prices
in Active
Markets for
Identical Assets
(Level 1)		Significant
Other
Observable
Inputs
(Level 2)		Significant
Unobservable
Inputs
(Level 3)
 (in millions)
Assets:    
Short-term    
Cash equivalents (money market funds)$784 $784 $— $— 
Derivative instruments (foreign exchange contracts)12 — 12 — 
Long-term    
Trading securities30 30 — — 
Other investments25 — 25 — 
Total assets measured at fair value$851 $814 $37 $— 
Liabilities:   
Short-term    
Derivative instruments (foreign exchange contracts)$6 $— $6 $— 
Long-term    
Deferred compensation liability30 — 30 — 
Total liabilities measured at fair value$36 $— $36 $— 

Our money market funds and trading securities are generally valued using quoted market prices and therefore are classified within level 1 of the fair value hierarchy. Our derivative financial instruments are classified within level 2, as there is not an active market for each hedge contract, but the inputs used to calculate the value of the instruments are tied to active markets. Our deferred compensation liability is classified as level 2 because, although the values are not directly based on
quoted market prices, the inputs used in the calculations are observable. Other investments represent shares we own in a special fund that targets underlying investments of approximately 40 percent in debt securities and 60 percent in equity securities. It has been classified as level 2 because, although the shares of the fund are not traded on any active stock exchange, each of the individual underlying securities are or can be derived from and hence we have a readily determinable value for the underlying securities, from which we are able to determine the fair market value for the special fund itself.

Trading securities, which are comprised of mutual funds, bonds and other similar instruments, other investments and deferred compensation liability are reported at fair value, with gains or losses resulting from changes in fair value recognized currently in net income. Certain derivative instruments are reported at fair value, with unrealized gains and losses, net of tax, included in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) within stockholders' equity. Realized gains and losses from the sale of these instruments are recorded in net income.

Assets and Liabilities Measured at Fair Value on a Non-Recurring Basis

Long-Lived Assets

For assets measured at fair value on a non-recurring basis, the following table summarizes the impairments included in net income for the years ended October 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018:

 Years Ended
October 31,
 202020192018
 (in millions)
Long-lived assets held and used$98 $— $21 
Long-lived assets held for sale$— $— $— 

For the year ended October 31, 2020, long-lived assets held and used, including indefinite lived in-process research and development intangible assets, with a carrying amount of $98 million were written down to their fair value of zero, resulting in an impairment charge of $98 million related to the shutdown of our sequencer development program and other assets in our diagnostics and genomics segment. There were no impairments of long-lived assets held and used in 2019. For 2018, long lived assets held and used with a carrying amount of $21 million were written down to their fair value of zero, resulting in an impairment charge of $21 million, which relates to purchased intangible assets within the diagnostics and genomics segment that were deemed unrecoverable and were included in net income.

There were no impairments of long-lived assets held for sale in 2020, 2019 and 2018.

Fair values for the impaired long-lived assets during 2020 and 2018 were measured using level 3 inputs. To determine the fair value of long-lived assets in 2020 and 2018, we used the income approach based on projected discounted cash flows expected to be generated by the long-lived assets over the remaining useful life.

For the year ended October 31, 2020 and 2019, there were no impairments in non-marketable securities without readily determinable fair value. For the year ended October 31, 2020 and 2019, a net unrealized gain of $27 million and $1 million, respectively, was included in net income as an adjustment to the carrying value of non-marketable equity securities without readily determinable fair value based on an observable market transaction. As of October 31, 2020 and 2019, the carrying amount of non-marketable equity securities without readily determinable fair values was $103 million and $47 million, respectively.

Fair values for the non-marketable securities included in long-term investments on the consolidated balance sheet were measured using Level 3 inputs because they are primarily equity stock issued by private companies without quoted market prices. To estimate the fair value of our non-marketable securities, we use the measurement alternative to record these investments at cost and adjust for impairments and observable price changes (orderly transactions for the identical or a similar security from the same issuer) as and when they occur.