Mexico Bracing for Massive Default That Could Set Off Global Debt BombBy Mac Slavo Across the planet, there are hundreds of governments local, state and national as well as business and households who are reaching a breaking point. Already drowning in debt, many are about to default on loan repayments, and thus set off a series of debt crises that will be met with market chaos and a tightening of easy credit for those who are most vulnerable to implosion. With Puerto Rico also timed for a major default that will burden the United States, Mexico is ready to crash, and bracing for impact. Its biggest construction firm, which has been dependent upon government contracts that are now drying up, is facing default on a $31 million interest bill. And so it begins via Wolf Street: In August, the bonds ofMexicos biggest construction company, ICA, had the dubious honor of being the worst performing corporate bonds across all emerging markets. At a time when emerging economies are slowing down and the total debt exposure of EM corporations has never been higher, this was no mean feat. [] Yesterday the companys shares plummeted 22% on news that it would use a 30-day grace period to make a $31 million interest payment that was due this week. Today its shares, which have lost more than 75% of their value since January, fell a further 8% to 3.76 pesos, their lowest point in 21 years. To make matters worse, the builder recently hired corporate restructuring specialist Rothschild Co. as financial adviser, fuelling speculation that it will soon seek debt relief. []If ICA does fail to pay, it would be Mexicos biggest bond default since the tumultuous days of the Tequila Crisis 20 years ago. The revenue reported by the company, which depends on the government for a majority of its contracts, has sharply declined this year amidst infrastructure spending cutbacks, while the weaker peso has exacerbated the companys leverage ratios. As WOLF STREET previously reported (hereandhere), many Mexican corporations are acutely vulnerable to a strengthening dollar and rising U.S. interest rates. The sudden rise in central bank-engendered liquidity after the outbreak of the Global Financial Crisis enabled Mexicos biggest companies to borrow from the international markets in much larger amounts and for much longer periods than at any other time in history.And the slide of the peso against the dollar has significantly increased the amount of leverage at some companies. As the article suggests, a sluggish Mexican economy has made this company all-too-vulnerable to market failure. The dead weight of its collapse is liable to do some damage across much of the global economic landscape. The real danger is that enough incidents could set off a domino of debt bomb explosions that risk taking the whole thing with it in a brilliant fiery scene of destruction. Goldman Sachs, so often at heart of these financial matters, recently proclaimed that we are in the third wave of the financial crisis that reaches back to before 2008 and includes other major shocks to the global economy. According to Goldman: This wave is characterised by rock-bottom commodities prices This triple whammy has its roots in the response to the first two waves of crisis the banking collapse and European sovereign-debt crisis and it is all part of the so-called debt supercycle of the past few decades. Central banks all rushed to lower interest rates in response to the first two debt-fueled crises, encouraging investors to lend in emerging markets such as China for a decent return. Now that interest rates are looking as if they might go up, lenders are heading for the exits and investors are pulling out of commodities, which are closely linked to the fate of the emerging economies. And that is exactly what is going on today. Energy and commodity prices are bottoming out, and people are stressing over the shortfalls in revenue. Weak economic systems and promises under socialism and welfare systems are making the balance sheets impossible to rectify. As lenders are demanding repayment, third world nations are under extra pressure due to a strong dollar that costs more to repay. Wolf Street explains: The Bank of International Settlements notes that the external debt in Mexico is the fourth highest of 17 emerging economies. The three economies ahead of Mexico are Chile, Malaysia and Peru. So serious is the problem that the Bank of Mexico just released a carefully worded alert on the potential dangers of excessive dollar-denominated corporate debt. [] Companies that have sharply increased their foreign currency-denominated debt are meanwhile advised to pay close attention to the risks they face, especially if most of their revenues are denominated in pesos. In the case of ICA, almost all of the companys contracts are denominated in pesos, while $1.35 billion of its debt is denominated in dollars. Thats the debt its now struggling to pay. [] This explosion of dollar-denominated debt was not just the result of the strengthening dollar; many companies were also desperate to take advantage of exceptionally low interest rates by applying for more debt with favorable conditions. In a perversely ironic twist, out of fear that the Fed may be about to take away the ZIRP punch bowl, some of Mexicos biggest corporations embarked on one last dollar-borrowing binge. Seeing as how these debt bombs cannot be localized and contained, and that they are set to go off across the planet, this very possibly could be the beginning of some major impacts in global finance. Everything is vulnerable, particularly for those depending upon income and services from a failing system. For investors, all that is leveraged, collateralized and sold into derivatives is in danger of catching flame, too. The massive amount of true global debt when unfulfilled obligations such as pensions that cannot be paid for are taken into account is absolutely impossible to fix through conventional thinking. There will be many people left holding the bag, until or unless the debts are wiped clean and the system sees a reset. You can read more from Mac Slavo at his site SHTFplan.com. All the defaulted countries gave their money away to undeserving welfare parasites who were too lazy to work or baby production lines for more moola without any birth control or work outside the home. Now who bails them out? The same suckers working for a living who gave them the money out of their childrens mouths. That was not enough for The welfare parasites sitting on their behinds and eating steaks, and using money to buy lottery tickets. They want more. And the countries, not wanting to be called incompassionate, gave them more of the hard working tax payers money, So that they no longer had money to repair infrastructure or for education or anything else. So then they raised more taxes until the working man had nothing left. Now they want the USA to bail them out. The USA Corporation is bankrupt too. All money collected by the IRS is paid tribute to England( Crown/Londinium). Fed ( Rothschilde), Vatican. The USA borrows all funds from the Fed Res at interest.. that the Americans have to pay to send this money to Mexico or anyone else. Not only this. Every muslim in the world wants to come to the West for us to raise them out of the 12th century to the 21st. Them and their 4 wives who give birth every two years. if the fed goes belly up that would e good news for humanity not so good for IS-RA-HELL and the gold collar parasites. Luke 6: Forgive him who wrongs you; join him who cuts you off; do good to him who does evil to you; and speak the truth even if it be against yourself. Matthew 5: 