The United States and other large global economies experienced historically high inflation in recent years. Current and future inflationary effects may be driven by, among other things, supply chain disruptions, changes in trade policies, governmental stimulus or fiscal policies, as well as ongoing global military conflicts. Inflation can materially and adversely affect us by increasing the costs of land, materials, labor and other costs required to manage and grow our business. In addition, should inflation rates exceed our fixed escalator percentages in markets where our leases include fixed escalators, our returns could be adversely affected. In an inflationary environment, such as the current economic environment, depending on the terms of our contracts and other economic conditions, we may be unable to raise prices enough to keep up with the rate of inflation or our customers may be unwilling to pay contractual increases or demand discounts upon renewal, which would reduce our profit margins and returns. If we are unable to increase our prices to offset the effects of inflation, our business, results of operations and financial condition could be materially and adversely affected. Inflation has also contributed to foreign currency exchange rate volatility, including in several of the markets where we operate. The ongoing impact of inflation may continue to create foreign exchange rate instability in our international markets, including in markets such as Africa and Latin America, that could, in turn, depress the value of that market’s currency, thereby adversely impacting our business, results of operations, financial condition or the underlying value of foreign subsidiaries.
In addition, inflation is often accompanied by higher interest rates. Although the Federal Reserve Board and other central banks began cutting interest rates in the latter part of 2024, interest rates remain above recent norms. The combination of higher interest rates and high inflation could lead to an extended economic downturn, which could reduce our ability to incur debt or access capital and impact our results of operations and financial condition even after these conditions improve. Additionally, higher inflation or higher costs of capital could also impact the risk premiums or market returns on our assets. Changes in costs of capital could adversely impact the underlying value of our assets, which could in turn result in impairment charges.