HF Foods Group Inc. 10-K

ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK. Interest Rate Risk Our debt exposes us to risk of fluctuations in interest rates. Floating rate debt, where the interest rate fluctuates periodically, exposes us to short-term changes in market interest rates. Fixed rate debt, where the interest rate is fixed over the life of the instrument, exposes us to changes in market interest rates reflected in the fair value of the debt and to the risk that we may need to refinance maturing debt with new debt at higher rates. We manage our debt portfolio to achieve an overall desired proportion of fixed and floating rate debts and may employ interest rate swaps as a tool from time to time to achieve that position. To manage our interest rate risk exposure, we entered into three interest rate swap contracts to hedge the floating rate term loans. See Note 10 - Derivative Financial Instruments to the consolidated financial statements in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for additional information. 35 As of December 31, 2022, our aggregate floating rate debt’s outstanding principal balance without hedging was $164.8 million, or 94.1% of total debt, consisting of long-term debt and revolving line of credit (see Note 11 - Debt to the consolidated financial statements in this Annual Report on Form 10-K). Our floating rate debt interest is based on the floating 1-month SOFR plus a predetermined credit adjustment rate plus the bank spread. The remaining 5.9% of our debt are on a fixed rate or a floating rate with hedging. In a hypothetical scenario, a 1% change in the applicable rate would cause the interest expense on our floating rate debt to change by approximately $1.6 million per year. Fuel Price Risk We are also exposed to fluctuations risk in the price and availability of diesel fuel. We require significant quantities of diesel fuel for our vehicle fleet, and the inbound delivery of the products we sell is also dependent upon shipment by diesel-fueled vehicles. We currently are able to obtain adequate supplies of diesel fuel, and average prices in 2022 increased 52.1%, compared to average prices in 2021. However, it is impossible to predict the future availability or price of diesel fuel. The price and supply of diesel fuel fluctuates based on external factors not within our control, including geopolitical developments, supply and demand for oil and gas, regional production patterns, weather conditions and environmental concerns. Increases in the cost of diesel fuel could increase our cost of goods sold and operating costs to deliver products to our customers. We do not actively hedge the price fluctuation of diesel fuel in general. Instead, we seek to minimize fuel cost risk through delivery route optimization and fleet utilization improvement. 36