When you have money, investments are a way for it to move easily and give you some profitability. At that time, you usually look for options where you can leave your money and, thus, be able to recover it later with some benefit. And one of those tools are the Cetes. What are they and why can they give you profitability?
Now, we want to talk to you about this tool that can make you earn some money. Want to know more about her?
What are the Cetes
The first thing you should know about the Cetes is that it is not something that operates in Spain. But we have gone to Mexico. The word Cetes refers to "Certificates of the Federal Treasury" and they come to be something similar to an investment in which you lend money to the government in exchange for, when the date arrives, it returns it to you with a yield (or interest).
Know that All Mexicans can invest in Cetes, and that they have been operating since 1978.
It is, therefore, a debt instrument and is officially issued by the Ministry of Finance and Public Credit (also known as SHCP) of the Federal Government. Besides, the Bank of Mexico comes into play because it helps the Government to develop that market.
What are the Cetes for?
Surely now it has become clearer to you what the Cetes are, but what about their objective? As in any other government, the Cetes act as a way to raise funds. To do this, it issues debts in the form of promissory notes. In other words, he seeks to earn money that will later be returned after a while to that person or company that has lent it to him with interest or an extra for having done so.
The operation is quite easy to understand. On the one hand, a person wants to give a "loan" to the government. For it, a fixed interest rate is established to be charged It will depend on whether you want to recover that money in the short or medium term.
For everything to be formalized, it is the Bank of Mexico (Banxico), who gives the certificates in the primary auction to those who ask for less interest. What does this mean? Well, the people who ask for less interest will be the ones chosen to formalize the Cetes and, thus, obtain that extra money in the end.
What is the minimum to invest in Cetes
If you are already thinking of investing in Cetes, you should know that there is usually a minimum investment of 100MXN$ (and a maximum of 10 million). Now, you have to know that the nominal value (at least from what we have found) is 10 Mexican pesos, which is what is usually received when the period ends (for nominal value).
As an example, imagine that you buy Cetes at 8 Mexican pesos. When the period ends, the Government is obliged to buy those Cetes from you, but, instead of paying them at 8, it will do so at 10, so that in the end you will win.
How often are Cetes issued?
One of the advantages that Cetes have is that you can try with not too much money. No waiting time. As we have seen, waiting times can be short, medium and long. But overall, you could recover your money in 28 or 91 days; in six months; or in a year.
This allows you to "test", see if it really is profitable and how much can be earned by investing in them. Although we already warned you that the shorter the term time, the profits are also lower. Even so, we delve into it below.
How much can you earn with the Cetes
Normally, when investing, what you want is to choose a good instrument that gives you profitability and for which you get extra money. In the case of the Cetes, is it possible?
To begin with, we are talking about an instrument that carries low risk, since the Mexican Government itself has a commitment to buy the Cetes for which you invest, and also give you the returns on that investment.
But we must also warn you that this makes the returns, that is, the extras you get, are less than with other alternatives (also less secure).
Every year, the government publishes what are the fixed interest rates that are paid according to the period in which the money is "lent". Thus, with the data for 2022, we know that the 28-day interest rate is 6.52 while, for one year, it rises to 8.40.
Invest in Cetes, how is it done?
Have you already made the decision and want to invest in Cetes? Well, you should know that there are different options:
- In the bank, where, by acting as mediators, it may entail a cost for you (and therefore less profit on the investment of your money).
- Cetesdirecto. It is an online platform with which you yourself acquire the certificates without the mediation of banks, brokerage firms or others. It is a free tool and does not have any type of commission, being able to operate easily and quickly. Of course, you need to be over 18 years old and have a Mexican bank account in your name. Once you register, you can formalize the contract and invest in the terms that we have mentioned before.
- SmartCash. Another of the options you have is this other one, a GBM+ portfolio in which you can invest the money in Cetes or similar financial instruments.
Are there risks?
As with any investment tool, there are risks, yes. But in general we are talking about one of the safest, so recovering the money should not cause much of a problem (you would only have problems if the Mexican government went bankrupt or found itself unable to repay the debts it has contracted with its citizens).
Now, it is true that, if you invest a sum of money, and you need it, you could not recover it until the term expired. The reason why the experts themselves recommend investing only the money that you know will not be needed in that period of time. For example, if you have 10 million in your account, and you invest it all, it may happen that at a given moment you need part of that money, and you cannot access it.
Is it clearer to you now what the Cetes are?