Mexico has historically experienced uneven periods of economic growth, including periods of slow or negative economic growth, high inflation, high interest rates, currency devaluation and other economic problems. Notwithstanding Mexico’s current situation, these problems may reemerge and could adversely affect Mexico’s economy and the liquidity of, and trading markets for, the debt securities issued by Mexico.
The COVID-19 pandemic has adversely affected Mexico’s economy, and will likely continue to have a material impact.
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a material impact on the economy in Mexico and around the world, including volatile interest rates, rising inflation and a depreciation of the Mexican peso, as well as fluctuations in world prices for oil and gas, which has also affected the Mexican economy and the financial condition of PEMEX. The Mexican government has taken extensive steps to mitigate the spread of the disease and its impact on public health; however, the evolution of the disease in Mexico cannot be predicted, including the impact of newly identified variants, as well as any additional restrictions that might need to be imposed.
Although COVID-19 vaccines have been available in Mexico since December 2020 and millions of people have been vaccinated with at least one of the two required doses of the main vaccines used in Mexico, there can be no assurance that vaccination will cover the whole or a significant percentage of the Mexican population and we cannot predict the extent to which vaccination will have positive effects on the Mexican economy, or the efficacy of the vaccines available in preventing infection from new variants.
For more information on the impact of COVID-19 on Mexico’s economy, see Mexico’s Form 18-K, filed on July 2, 2021, as amended by the Form 18-K/A Amendment No. 2 filed on January 4, 2022, any Form 18-K amendments thereto and any applicable prospectus supplement.
There can be no assurances that Mexico’s credit ratings will improve or remain stable, or that they will not be downgraded, suspended or cancelled by the rating agencies.
Ratings address the creditworthiness of Mexico and the likelihood of timely payment of Mexico’s long-term debt securities. Ratings are not a recommendation to purchase, hold or sell securities and may be changed, suspended or withdrawn at any time. Mexico’s current ratings and the rating outlooks currently assigned to it depend, in part, on
economic conditions and other factors that affect credit risk and are outside the control of Mexico, as well as assessments of the creditworthiness of its productive state-owned enterprises. Certain ratings agencies may also downgrade PEMEX’s credit ratings, as they have in the past, and their assessment of PEMEX’s creditworthiness may affect Mexico’s credit ratings.
There can be no assurances that Mexico’s credit ratings will be maintained or that they will not be downgraded, suspended or cancelled. Any credit rating downgrade, suspension or cancellation may have an adverse effect on the market price and the trading of the debt securities.
Currency Risks
Debt securities denominated in a currency other than the currency of your home country are not an appropriate investment for you if you do not have experience with foreign currency transactions.
If Mexico denominates debt securities in a currency other than U.S. dollars, the applicable prospectus supplement will contain information about the currency, including historical exchange rates and any exchange controls affecting the currency. Mexico will provide this information for your convenience only. Future fluctuations in exchange rates or exchange controls may be very different from past trends, and Mexico will not advise you of any changes after the date of the applicable prospectus supplement. In addition, if you reside outside the United States, special considerations may apply to your investment in the debt securities. You should consult financial and legal advisors in your home country to discuss matters that may affect your purchase or holding of, or receipt of payments on, the debt securities.
If the specified currency of a debt security depreciates against your home country currency, the effective yield of the debt security would decrease below its interest rate and could result in a loss to you.
Rates of exchange between your home country currency and the specified currency may change significantly, resulting in a reduced yield or loss to you on the debt securities. In recent years, rates of exchange between certain currencies have been highly volatile, and you should expect this volatility to continue in the future. Fluctuations in any particular exchange rate that have occurred in the past, however, do not necessarily indicate future fluctuations.