Dow Inc (DOW) Risk Analysis

At least annually, the Company assesses goodwill for impairment. If testing indicates that goodwill is impaired, the carrying value is written down based on fair value with a charge against earnings. Where the Company utilizes a discounted cash flow methodology in determining fair value, continued weak demand for a specific product line or business could result in an impairment. Accordingly, any determination requiring the write-off of a significant portion of goodwill could negatively impact the Company's results of operations. See Note 12 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information regarding the Company's goodwill impairment testing and goodwill impairments, including goodwill impairments recognized during the fourth quarter of 2025.

The Company utilizes cash from operations and its ability to access capital markets to meet the Company's cash requirements for working capital, capital projects, debt maturities and other needs. Adverse economic conditions, a contraction in the availability of credit in the marketplace, or changes in the Company's credit ratings, including failure to maintain an investment grade rating, could increase borrowing costs and reduce sources of liquidity, restricting the Company's flexibility to respond to changing business and economic conditions or to fund capital projects and working capital needs, which could adversely impact the Company's results of operations and liquidity.

The Company currently has manufacturing operations, sales and marketing activities, and joint ventures in emerging geographic regions. Activities in these geographic regions are accompanied by uncertainty and risks including: navigating different government regulatory environments; relationships with new, local partners; project funding commitments and guarantees; expropriation, military actions, war, terrorism, sanctions and political instability; sabotage; uninsurable risks; suppliers not performing as expected resulting in increased risk of extended project timelines; and determining raw material supply and other details regarding product movement. The Company also makes strategic investments in emerging companies. While the Company pursues strategic investments because it expects them to yield longer-term benefits, they could adversely affect the Company's near-term results of operations. These investments may not yield the business benefits, synergies or financial benefits anticipated by management. Additionally, disruptions to supply chains, distribution chains and/or public and private infrastructure and services, including those caused by industry capacity constraints, material availability, global logistics delays, and third party service and material providers; and constraints arising from, among other things, the transportation capacity of ocean shipping containers; global labor availability constraints; and/or disruptions to the Company's site operations caused by tenant and neighboring manufacturing operations, as well as the Company's ability to attract and retain a talented workforce, could materially and adversely impact the Company's business operations. If the manufacturing operations, supply chains, sales and marketing activities, investments in emerging companies and joint venture operations are not reliable and/or the implementation of the Company's projects is not successful, it could adversely affect the Company's financial condition, cash flows and results of operations.

As a diversified chemical manufacturing company, the Company's operations at each site, including maintenance of its facilities; the transportation of supplies and products; cyberattacks; the expanding utilization of AI in Company operations, including but not limited to its manufacturing process controls, supply chain optimization, and human resources analysis, and by its suppliers and customers, and the complex and evolving regulatory environment surrounding AI; and pandemics and other public health-related events or severe weather conditions and other natural phenomena (such as freezing, drought, hurricanes, earthquakes, tsunamis, floods, etc.) could result in an unplanned or unintended event that could be significant in scale and could negatively impact operations, neighbors or the public at large, which could have a negative impact on the Company's results of operations. Major hurricanes and other weather-related events have caused significant disruption in the Company's operations on the U.S. Gulf Coast, logistics across the region, and the supply of certain raw materials, which had an adverse impact on volume and cost for some of its products. Due to the Company's substantial presence on the U.S. Gulf Coast, similar severe weather conditions or other natural phenomena in the future could negatively impact the Company's results of operations. Other non-weather-related unplanned events have also caused disruptions in the Company's operations at various sites. While the Company has processes in place to minimize the risks and impacts of such events, such unplanned future events could negatively impact the Company's results of operations.

While the Company has frozen its defined benefit plans and other postretirement benefit plans in the United States, the Company continues to sponsor these plans as well as defined benefit pension plans and other postretirement benefit plans in a number of other countries (together with U.S. plans, the "plans"). The assets of the Company's funded plans are primarily invested in fixed income securities, equity securities of U.S. and foreign issuers and alternative investments, including investments in real estate, private equity and absolute return strategies. Changes in the market value of plan assets, investment returns, discount rates, mortality rates and regulations may affect the funded status of the Company's plans and could cause volatility in the net periodic benefit cost and future funding requirements of the plans. A significant increase in the Company's obligations or future funding requirements could have a negative impact on the Company's results of operations and cash flows for a particular period and on the Company's financial condition.

Purchased feedstock and energy costs account for a substantial portion of the Company's total production costs and operating expenses. The Company purchases hydrocarbon-based raw materials including ethane, propane, butane, naphtha and condensate as feedstocks and purchases certain monomers, primarily ethylene and propylene, to supplement internal production, as well as other raw materials. The Company also purchases natural gas, primarily to generate electricity, electric power to supplement internal generation, and steam. Feedstock and energy costs generally follow price trends in crude oil and natural gas, which are sometimes volatile. Power prices often follow general energy trends, and are additionally subject to short-term surfeits and shortages related to, for example, intermittent wind and solar generation, and power generation and transmission outages. While the Company uses its feedstock flexibility and financial and physical hedging programs to help mitigate feedstock cost increases, the Company is not always able to immediately raise selling prices. Ultimately, the ability to pass on underlying cost increases is dependent on market conditions. Conversely, when feedstock and energy costs decline, selling prices generally decline as well. As a result, volatility in these costs could impact the Company's results of operations. While the Company expects abundant and cost-advantaged supplies of natural gas liquids ("NGLs") in the United States to persist for the foreseeable future, if NGLs become significantly less advantaged than crude oil-based feedstocks, it could have a negative impact on the Company's results of operations and future investments. Also, if the Company's key suppliers of feedstock and energy, which may include limited or single source suppliers, are unable to provide the raw materials or energy required for production, it could have a negative impact on the Company's results of operations.

The Company sells its broad range of products and services in a competitive, global environment, and competes worldwide for sales on the basis of product quality, price, technology and customer service. Increased levels of competition have resulted in lower prices and lower sales volume, which have had a negative impact on the Company's results of operations. These factors are expected to continue and may worsen in the near term, which could continue to challenge the Company's ongoing results of operations. To address these challenges amidst the ongoing macroeconomic uncertainty, the Company has taken targeted cost reduction initiatives and other actions to advance its balanced capital allocation approach and enhance financial flexibility, and will continue to seek additional actions to mitigate the impact of macroeconomic uncertainty. Unforeseen macroeconomic conditions could result in additional actions that could adversely affect equity performance until market conditions improve. For additional information, see Part II Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations and Note 5 to the Consolidated Financial Statements. Sales of the Company's products are also subject to extensive federal, state, local and foreign laws and regulations; trade agreements; import and export controls; taxes; and duties and tariffs. The imposition of additional regulations, controls, taxes, duties and tariffs or changes to bilateral and regional trade agreements could also result in lower sales volume, which could negatively impact the Company's results of operations. During 2025, the United States changed its long-standing trade policies and announced significant new tariffs, with certain exceptions, on virtually all imported goods. These actions triggered the negotiation of new trade agreements with certain U.S. trading partners. While these negotiations resulted in the reduction of certain recently imposed tariffs, the average U.S. tariff rate remains at its highest level since the 1930s. In response to the changes in U.S. trade policies, certain U.S. trading partners imposed retaliatory tariffs on U.S. imports. Shifts in tariffs, trade agreements, import/export restrictions, trade sanctions, sector specific trade barriers, and other governmental trade actions, whether enacted by the United States or other countries, especially those instituted in the Company's significant markets or markets where its significant customers or suppliers are located, and the associated uncertainty of long-term trade policies, could impact the Company's sales volume, sales price, and production and other costs. Changes in trade policies may also cause disruptions to material sourcing and availability, global supply chains and logistics and access to end markets. Additionally, changes in U.S. trade policy and associated responses from trading partners may create shifts in global market dynamics, disrupt the long-term planning process for governments and private enterprises and result in continued global financial market volatility. The impact of these changes in trade policies and the resulting trade and market uncertainty could have a negative impact on the Company's results of operations. There can be no assurance that, in the future, the United States, other countries or international trade bodies will not institute new tariffs or more restrictive trade policies or remedies and, as a result, the Company may face additional uncertainty and adverse impact on its business, financial condition and results of operations. Economic conditions around the world, and in certain industries and geographic regions in which the Company does business, also impact sales price and volume and the efficacy of the Company's supply chain. For example, long-term market uncertainty, an economic downturn driven by trade policies and inflationary pressures, and higher input costs have reduced demand for the Company's products, resulting in decreased sales price and volume. Adverse economic conditions have also caused supply chain constraints. These factors have had and are continuing to have a negative impact on the Company's results of operations. Additionally, political conditions or tensions; war, invasion or conflict, including the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East and between Russia and Ukraine with the related sanctions and export restrictions; terrorism; epidemics; pandemics; or political instability in the geographic regions or industries in which the Company operates or sells its products could further reduce demand for the Company's products and result in decreased sales price and volume or supply chain disruptions, which could have a negative impact on the Company's results of operations. The Russia-Ukraine conflict has been ongoing for more than three years since Russia's February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, and although there have been recent efforts to seek a resolution, it remains unclear if these will be successful. In light of sanctions imposed by the United States, Canada, the European Union and other countries as a result of this conflict, Dow ceased in-bound investment to Russia and maintains reasonable, risk-based measures to ship into Russia only limited goods that comply with applicable legal restrictions. These actions have not had and are not expected to have a material impact on the Company's financial condition or results of operations. The situation remains fluid and the ongoing conflict may result in additional economic sanctions or other measures, which could have a negative impact on the Company's financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. These impacts could include decreased sales; supply chain and logistics disruptions; volatility in foreign exchange rates and interest rates; inflationary pressures on and availability of raw materials and energy, most notably in Europe; and heightened cybersecurity threats. Further, the intensity and duration of conflicts in the Middle East and potential expansion of hostilities in the region are difficult to predict and could disrupt the Company's supply chain operations, which could have a negative impact on the Company's results of operations. In addition, volatility and disruption of financial markets could limit the ability of Dow's customers and suppliers to obtain adequate financing to maintain operations, which could result in a decrease in sales volume and have a negative impact on the Company's results of operations. The Company's global business operations also give rise to market risk exposure related to changes in inflation, foreign currency exchange rates, including the impact of foreign currency exchange rates resulting from highly inflationary economies such as Argentina, interest rates, commodity prices and other market factors such as equity prices. To manage such risks, the Company enters into hedging and other investment transactions, where deemed appropriate, pursuant to established guidelines and policies. If the Company fails to effectively manage such risks, it could have a negative impact on its results of operations.

A public health crisis, including a pandemic similar in nature to COVID-19, could impact all geographic regions where Dow products are produced and sold. The global, regional and local spread of a public health crisis could result in, and in the past has resulted in, significant global mitigation measures, including government-directed quarantines, social distancing and shelter-in-place mandates, travel restrictions and/or bans, mask and vaccination mandates, restrictions on large gatherings and restricted access to certain corporate facilities and manufacturing sites. Business disruptions and market volatility resulting from a public health crisis could have a substantial negative impact on the Company's results of operations, financial condition and cash flows. The adverse impact of a pandemic could include, and in the past has included, without limitation, fluctuations in the Company's stock price due to market volatility; a decrease in demand for certain Company products; price declines; reduced profitability; supply chain disruptions impeding the Company's ability to ship and/or receive product; temporary idling or permanent closure of select manufacturing facilities and/or manufacturing assets; asset impairment charges; interruptions or limitations to manufacturing operations imposed by local, state or federal governments; reduced market liquidity and increased borrowing costs; workforce absenteeism and distraction; labor shortages; customer credit concerns; increased cybersecurity risk and data accessibility disruptions due to remote working arrangements; workforce reductions and fluctuations in foreign currency markets. Additional risks may include, but are not limited to: shortages of key raw materials; potential impairment in the carrying value of goodwill; additional asset impairment charges; increased obligations related to the Company's pension and other postretirement benefit plans; and tax valuation allowance; and may also have the effect of heightening many of the other risks described in this "Risk Factors" section.

The Company relies on various information systems, including information systems operated by third-parties and which may also include embedded artificial intelligence ("AI"), to support safe, efficient and reliable business and operating processes and activities and to safeguard its proprietary information assets, including trade secrets, know-how and other sensitive, business critical information. These systems are critical to the Company's process to accurately report financial results for management and external reporting purposes and to ensure compliance with financial reporting, legal and tax requirements in the United States and around the world. These systems may also be used to collect and process sensitive customer and personal employee data the Company may be legally required to store, process and protect in accordance with complex country- and territory-specific laws that continue to evolve, violations of which could result in significant criminal or civil sanctions, investigations, or enforcement actions. Increased global cybersecurity vulnerabilities, threats and targeted cyberattacks, which are becoming more sophisticated as attackers increase their utilization of developing techniques and tools, including AI, continue to pose risks to the Company's products, systems and networks, and the confidentiality, availability and integrity of the Company's data, and may surpass the Company's current safeguards. These vulnerabilities also expose the Company's customers, suppliers and third-party service providers to loss. In addition, the Company is exposed to similar risks resulting from cyberattacks that are experienced by its suppliers and other vendors. As a result, cyberattacks, internal and external security breaches, and attacks and security breaches of third-party systems could disrupt the Company's operations, compromise Dow's proprietary and confidential, business critical information, jeopardize the Company's ability to safeguard and maintain accurate data, including personal data, and harm the Company's reputation which could result in litigation, enforcement actions, including fines, penalties and disruption of the Company's right to operate in certain jurisdictions, and significant remediation costs. Additionally, the Company's use of AI software may create additional risks related to the unintentional disclosure of proprietary, confidential, personal or otherwise sensitive information. While the Company has been the target of cyberattacks, including phishing, social engineering, industrial espionage and other malicious attacks, and has determined that certain of these attacks have resulted in and could continue to result in unauthorized third parties gaining access to the Company's information systems and certain confidential business information, the Company has a comprehensive cybersecurity program that is continuously reviewed, maintained and upgraded and, to date, these attacks have not materially impacted the Company. However, cyberattacks by nation-state organizations, crime organizations and other hackers continue to occur and are increasingly sophisticated, and these attacks may occur and remain undetected for an extended period of time. These attacks could have a material negative impact on the Company's business strategy, results of operations, financial position and reputation. More information on the Company's processes for assessing, identifying and managing material risks from cybersecurity threats, including management's role and the Board's oversight of such processes, can be found in Item 1C. Cybersecurity.

The Company's business operations are subject to the cyclical nature of the supply-demand balance in the chemical industry. The balance of supply relative to demand within the industry has been and continues to be significantly impacted by the addition of new capacity, especially for basic commodities where capacity is generally added in large increments as world-scale facilities are built. This has resulted in excess capacity which has disrupted and continues to disrupt regional industry supply and demand balances, particularly in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and India ("EMEAI") and Asia Pacific, resulting in downward pressure on prices and decreased operating rates, which has had and continues to have a negative impact on the Company's results of operations.