Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK
We are exposed to market risks arising from adverse changes in:
• foreign exchange rates;
• interest rates;
• commodity prices; and
• inflation.
53
Foreign Exchange Rates
Foreign currency fluctuations may impact the financial results we report for the portions of our business that operate in functional currencies other than the U.S. dollar. Our operations outside of the U.S. represented 50.8% and 48.2% of our revenue during years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively. An increase or decrease in the strength of the U.S. dollar against these currencies by 10% would result in a 5.1% change in our consolidated revenue and a 3.7% change in our operating income for the year ended December 31, 2023. See our Results of Operations discussion in Part II, Item 7 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for additional information regarding the impact of fluctuations in exchange rates on our year over year results.
Additionally, we are exposed to foreign currency fluctuations with respect to the purchase of aftermarket products from foreign countries, primarily in Europe and Asia. To the extent that our inventory purchases are not denominated in the functional currency of the purchasing location, we are exposed to exchange rate fluctuations. In several of our operations, we purchase inventory from manufacturers in Taiwan in U.S. dollars, which exposes us to fluctuations in the relationship between the local functional currency and the U.S. dollar, as well as fluctuations between the U.S. dollar and the Taiwan dollar. We hedge our exposure to foreign currency fluctuations related to a portion of inventory purchases in our Europe operations, but the notional amount and fair value of these foreign currency forward contracts at December 31, 2023 were immaterial. We do not currently attempt to hedge foreign currency exposure related to our foreign currency denominated inventory purchases in our Wholesale - North America operations, and we may not be able to pass on any resulting price increases to our customers.
To the extent that we are exposed to foreign currency fluctuations related to non-functional currency denominated transactions, we may hedge the exposure through the use of foreign currency forward contracts. In March 2023, we entered into foreign currency forward contracts related to the Uni-Select Acquisition. These contracts were settled in July 2023 ahead of closing of the Uni-Select Acquisition. See Note 3, "Business Combinations" and Note 20, "Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities" to the Consolidated Financial Statements in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for additional information.
Other than with respect to a portion of our foreign currency denominated inventory purchases and, from time to time, certain financing transactions, we do not hold derivative contracts to hedge foreign currency risk. Our net investment in foreign operations is partially hedged by the foreign currency denominated borrowings we use to fund foreign acquisitions; however, our ability to use foreign currency denominated borrowings to finance our foreign operations may be limited based on local tax laws. We have elected not to hedge the foreign currency risk related to the interest payments on foreign third party borrowings as we generate cash flows in the local currencies that can be used to fund debt payments. As of December 31, 2023, we had outstanding borrowings of €500 million under our Euro Notes (2024) and €250 million under our Euro Notes (2028), CAD 700 million under our CAD Note, and €344 million and Swedish Krona ("SEK") 60 million under our revolving credit facilities. As of December 31, 2022, we had outstanding borrowings of €500 million under our Euro Notes (2024) and €250 million under our Euro Notes (2028), and €748 million and SEK 75 million under our revolving credit facilities.
Interest Rates
Our results of operations are exposed to changes in interest rates primarily with respect to borrowings under our credit facilities, where interest rates are tied to SOFR, prime rate, Canadian Dollar Offered Rate, Euro Interbank Offered Rate, SONIA, or Swiss Average Rate Overnight. Therefore, we implemented a policy to manage our exposure to variable interest rates on a portion of our outstanding variable rate debt instruments through the use of interest rate swap contracts. These contracts converted a portion of our variable rate debt to fixed rate debt, matching the currency, effective dates and maturity dates to specific debt instruments. We designated our interest rate swap contracts as cash flow hedges, and net interest payments or receipts from interest rate swap contracts are included as adjustments to interest expense.
We had none of our variable rate debt under our credit facilities at fixed rates at December 31, 2022. However, in February 2023, we entered into two sets of interest rate swap agreements to hedge the variable rates on a portion of our credit agreement borrowings. See Note 19, "Long-Term Obligations" and Note 20, "Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities" to the Consolidated Financial Statements in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for additional information.
At December 31, 2023, we had approximately $1,243 million of variable rate debt that was not hedged. Using sensitivity analysis, a 100 basis point movement in interest rates would change interest expense by $12 million over the next twelve months.
54
Commodity Prices
We are exposed to market risk related to price fluctuations in scrap metal and other metals (including precious metals, such as platinum, palladium, and rhodium, contained in some recycled parts, such as catalytic converters). Market prices of these metals affect the amount that we pay for our inventory and the revenue that we generate from sales of these metals. As both our revenue and costs are affected by the price fluctuations, we have a natural hedge against the changes. However, there is typically a lag between the effect on our revenue from metal price fluctuations and inventory cost changes, and there is no guarantee that the vehicle costs will decrease or increase at the same rate as the metals prices. Therefore, we can experience positive or negative gross margin effects in periods of rising or falling metals prices, particularly when such prices move rapidly. Additionally, if market prices were to change at a higher or lower rate than our vehicle acquisition costs, we could experience a positive or negative effect on our operating margin. The average of scrap metal prices for the year ended December 31, 2023 decreased by 6% over the average for 2022, noting there was volatility from quarter to quarter over both years. The average prices of rhodium and palladium decreased by 60% and 38%, respectively, while platinum increased by 1% for the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to the average prices for the year ended December 31, 2022.
Inflation
We are exposed to market risks related to inflation in product, labor, shipping, freight and general overhead costs. In 2022 and 2023, inflation increased to rates beyond recent history, and we experienced rising costs. We adjusted our prices and drove productivity initiatives to mitigate the inflationary effects. If these pressures continue or increase in severity, we may not be able to fully offset such higher costs through price increases and productivity initiatives. Inflationary pressures in the future may have an adverse effect on our ability to maintain current levels of gross margin and SG&A expenses as a percentage of net revenue if the selling prices of our products do not increase with these increased costs, we cannot identify cost efficiencies, or the higher prices impact demand.
55