ReTo Eco-Solutions (RETO) Risk Factors

Under the law of the British Virgin Islands, there is little statutory law for the protection of minority shareholders other than the provisions of the BVI Act dealing with shareholder remedies. The principal protection under statutory law is that shareholders may bring an action to enforce the constituent documents of the corporation, in our case, our M&A. Shareholders are entitled to have the affairs of the Company conducted in accordance with the general law and the Memorandum and Articles.

We have received subsidies from some governmental agencies after meeting certain conditions, such as developing certain technologies, which are chosen as annual key research and development, or obtaining certain technological certifications. For the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, we included government subsidies of $191, $235,084 and $261,197, respectively, in other income. Beijing REIT obtained the High-New Technology Enterprise ("HNTE") Certificate and is entitled to a preferential income tax rate of 15% for the three years from December 2020 to December 2022. Such HNTE Certificate has been renewed for another three years from December 2022 to December 2025. Hainan Yile IoV Technology Research Institute Co., Ltd. ("IoV Technology Research") obtained an HNTE Certificate and is entitled to a preferential income tax rate of 15% for the three years from October 2022 to October 2025. Hainan Yile IoT obtained an HNTE Certificate and was entitled to a preferential income tax rate of 15% for the three years from October 2020 to October 2023, after which its HNTE Certificate has expired in October 2023 and not been renewed. The 15% tax rate is less than the standard 25% income tax rate in China. In the event any of Beijing REIT or IoV Technology Research is unable to renew its HNTE status, its applicable tax rate will increase from 15% to 25%, the standard business income tax rate in China. In addition, the termination of any one-time subsidies for eco-friendly construction materials could increase the burden of manufacturing and selling these materials in the future. The reduction or discontinuation of any of these economic incentives could negatively affect our business and operations.

Regulatory authorities in China have implemented and are considering further legislative and regulatory proposals concerning data protection. China's new Data Security Law went into effect on September 1, 2021. The Data Security Law provides that the data processing activities must be conducted based on "data classification and hierarchical protection system" for the purpose of data protection and prohibits entities in China from transferring data stored in China to foreign law enforcement agencies or judicial authorities without prior approval by the Chinese government. The Data Security Law sets forth the legal liabilities of entities and individuals found to be in violation of their data protection obligations, including rectification order, warning, fines of up to RMB5 million, suspension of relevant business, and revocation of business permits or licenses. In addition, the PRC Cybersecurity Law provides that personal information and important data collected and generated by operators of critical information infrastructure in the course of their operations in the PRC should be stored in the PRC, and the law imposes heightened regulation and additional security obligations on operators of critical information infrastructure. On July 10, 2021, the CAC issued the Cybersecurity Review Measures (revised draft for public comments), which proposed to authorize the relevant government authorities to conduct cybersecurity review on a range of activities that affect or may affect national security. The PRC National Security Law covers various types of national security, including technology security and information security. The Cybersecurity Review Measures (2021 Version) took effect on February 15, 2022. The Cybersecurity Review Measures (2021 Version) expand the cybersecurity review to data processing operators in possession of personal information of over 1 million users if the operators intend to list their securities in a foreign country. Under the Cybersecurity Review Measures (2021 Version), the scope of entities required to undergo cybersecurity review to assess national security risks that arise from data processing activities would be expanded to include all critical information infrastructure operators who purchase network products and services and all data processors carrying out data processing activities that affect or may affect national security. In addition, such reviews would focus on the potential risk of core data, important data, or a large amount of personal information being stolen, leaked, destroyed, illegally used or exported out of China, or critical information infrastructure being affected, controlled or maliciously used by foreign governments after such a listing. An operator that violates these measures shall be dealt with in accordance with the provisions of the PRC Cybersecurity Law and the PRC Data Security Law. According to the Cybersecurity Review Measures (2021 Version), cybersecurity review will be required when (i) operators of critical information infrastructure purchasing network products and services or online platform operators carry out data processing activities which do or may affect national security; and (ii) any online platform operator controlling personal information of more than one million users which seeks to list in a foreign stock exchange. The factors to be considered when assessing the national security risks of the relevant activities, including, among others, (i) the risk of core data, important data or a large amount of personal information being stolen, leaked, destroyed, and illegally used or exited the country; and (ii) the risk of critical information infrastructure, core data, important data or a large amount of personal information being affected, controlled, or maliciously used by foreign governments after listing abroad. The CAC has said that under the new rules companies holding data of more than 1,000,000 users must now apply for cybersecurity approval when seeking listings in other nations because of the risk that such data and personal information could be "affected, controlled, and maliciously exploited by foreign governments." The cybersecurity review will also look into the potential national security risks from overseas initial public offerings. As advised our PRC legal counsel , because (i) none of our PRC subsidiaries collecting personal information or processing data in actual operation, and (ii) none of our PRC subsidiaries is an "online platform operator holding more than one million users' personal information," we believe the cybersecurity review requirement is not applicable us. However, there remains uncertainty as to the interpretation and implementation of the revised Cybersecurity Review Measures and we cannot assure you that the CAC will reach the same conclusion as our PRC counsel. As advised by our PRC legal counsel, the PRC governmental authorities may have wide discretion in the interpretation and enforcement of these laws, including the interpretation of the scope of "critical information infrastructure operators." If the Company or any of its PRC subsidiaries is deemed as a critical information infrastructure operator under the PRC cybersecurity laws and regulations, we and our PRC subsidiaries must fulfill certain obligations as required under the PRC cybersecurity laws and regulations, including, among others, storing personal information and important data collected and produced within the PRC territory during our operations in China, which we and our PRC subsidiaries have fulfilled in our business, and we and our PRC subsidiaries may be subject to review when purchasing internet products and services. We and our PRC subsidiaries may be subject to review when conducting data processing activities, and may face challenges in addressing its requirements and make necessary changes to our internal policies and practices in data processing. As of the date of this annual report, we and our PRC subsidiaries have not been involved in any investigations on cybersecurity review made by the CAC on such basis, and we and our PRC subsidiaries have not received any inquiry, notice, warning, or sanctions in such respect. On November 14, 2021, the CAC released the Regulations on Network Data Security (draft for public comments) and accepted public comments until December 13, 2021. The draft Regulations on Network Data Security provide more detailed guidance on how to implement the general legal requirements under legislations such as the Cybersecurity Law, Data Security Law and the Personal Information Protection Law. The draft Regulations on Network Data Security follow the principle that the state will regulate based on a data classification and multi-level protection scheme. We believe that we or any of our PRC subsidiaries do not constitute an online platform operator under the draft Regulations on Network Data Security as proposed, which is defined as a platform that provides information publishing, social network, online transaction, online payment and online audio/video services. None of our PRC subsidiaries is an online platform operator themselves, nor is any of them required to obtain an ICP license for their current operations. On August 20, 2021, the SCNPC promulgated the Personal Information Protection Law which became effective on November 1, 2021. The Personal Information Protection Law provides a comprehensive set of data privacy and protection requirements that apply to the processing of personal information and expands data protection compliance obligations to cover the processing of personal information of persons by organizations and individuals in China, and the processing of personal information of persons in China outside of China if such processing is for purposes of providing products and services to, or analyzing and evaluating the behavior of, persons in China. The Personal Information Protection Law also provides that critical information infrastructure operators and personal information processing entities who process personal information meeting a volume threshold to be set by Chinese cyberspace regulators are also required to store in China personal information generated or collected in China, and to pass a security assessment administered by Chinese cyberspace regulators for any export of such personal information. Lastly, the Personal Information Protection Law contains proposals for significant fines for serious violations of up to RMB 50 million or 5% of annual revenues from the prior year and may also be ordered to suspend any related activity by competent authorities. We have access to certain information of our customers in providing services and may be required to further adjust our business practice to comply with new regulatory requirements. Interpretation, application and enforcement of these laws, rules and regulations evolve from time to time and their scope may continually change, through new legislation, amendments to existing legislation or changes in enforcement. We cannot assure you that relevant governmental authorities will not interpret or implement the laws or regulations in ways that negatively affect the software and information technology service industry, our clients and us. Compliance with the PRC Cybersecurity Law and the PRC Data Security Law could significantly increase the cost to us of providing our service offerings, require significant changes to our operations or even prevent us from providing certain service offerings in jurisdictions in which we currently operate or in which we may operate in the future. Despite our efforts to comply with applicable laws, regulations and other obligations relating to privacy, data protection and information security, it is possible that our practices or service offerings could fail to meet all of the requirements imposed on us by the PRC Cybersecurity Law, the PRC Data Security Law and/or related implementing regulations. Any failure on our part to comply with such law or regulations or any other obligations relating to privacy, data protection or information security, or any compromise of security that results in unauthorized access, use or release of personally identifiable information or other data, or the perception or allegation that any of the foregoing types of failure or compromise has occurred, could damage our reputation, discourage new and existing counterparties from contracting with us or result in investigations, fines, suspension or other penalties by Chinese government authorities and private claims or litigation, any of which could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Even if our practices are not subject to legal challenge, the perception of privacy concerns, whether or not valid, may harm our reputation and brand and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Moreover, the legal uncertainty created by the Data Security Law and the recent Chinese government actions could materially adversely affect our ability, on favorable terms, to raise capital, including engaging in follow-on offerings of our securities in the U.S. market. We operate in a regulatory environment in which data privacy and protection is evolving. It is also possible that we may become subject to additional or new laws and regulations regarding data privacy and protection in connection with the data we have access to and the data products and services we provide to our clients. Moreover, we may become subject to regulatory requirements as a result of utilization of our products and services by residents of, or travelers who visit, certain jurisdictions, such as the General Data Protection Regulation of the European Union, or the GDPR. Complying with additional or new regulatory requirements could force us to incur substantial costs or require us to change our business practices. Moreover, if a high-profile security breach occurs with respect to our competitors, people may lose trust in the security of software solutions providers generally, including us, which could damage the reputation of the industry, result in heightened regulation and strengthened regulatory enforcement and adversely affect our business and results of operations. Our business partners and customers may be subject to regulations related to the handling and transfer of certain types of sensitive and confidential information. Any failure of our partners or customers to comply with applicable laws and regulations would harm our business, results of operations and financial condition. Our business partners and customers that use our products may be subject to privacy- and data protection-related laws and regulations that impose obligations in connection with the collection, processing and use of personal data, financial data, health data or other similar data. Any failure or perceived failure by our business partners or customers to comply with applicable laws and regulations could result in their reputational damage or governmental investigations, inquiries, enforcement actions and prosecutions, private litigation, fines and penalties or adverse publicity, which may harm our business partnership and have a negative impact on our business.

Our return on investment in client projects will take some time to materialize. At the initial stages of project investment and construction, the depreciation of newly added materials and fixed assets will negatively affect our operating results. In addition, the projects may be subject to changes in market conditions during the installation and implementation phases. Changes in industry policy, the progress of the projects, project management, raw materials supply, market conditions and other variables may affect the profitability and the time in which we profit on projects, which may be different from our initial forecast, thus affecting the actual return on investment of the projects.

Our success depends, in part, on our ability to protect our brand and the proprietary methods and technologies that we develop under patent and other intellectual property laws in China so that we can prevent others from using our inventions and proprietary information. As of the date of this annual report, we have registered 126 patents, 70 pending patent applications, 39 trademarks, 25 software copyrights, and 10 domain names in China related to our newly acquired businesses. There can be no assurance that any patents that have been issued or that may be issued in the future will provide significant protection for our intellectual property. If we fail to protect our intellectual property rights adequately, our competitors might gain access to our technology and our business, results of operations and financial condition may be adversely affected. There can be no assurance that the particular forms of intellectual property protection that we seek, including business decisions about when to file trademark applications and patent applications, will be adequate to protect our business. We may have to spend significant resources to monitor and protect our intellectual property rights. Litigation may be necessary in the future to enforce our intellectual property rights, determine the validity and scope of our proprietary rights or those of others, or defend against claims of infringement or invalidity. Such litigation could be costly, time-consuming and distracting to management, result in a diversion of significant resources, the narrowing or invalidation of portions of our intellectual property and have an adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition. Our efforts to enforce our intellectual property rights may be met with defenses, counterclaims and countersuits attacking the validity and enforceability of our intellectual property rights or alleging that we infringe the counterclaimant's own intellectual property. Any of our patents, copyrights, trademarks or other intellectual property rights could be challenged by others or invalidated through administrative process or litigation. We also rely, in part, on confidentiality agreements and non-compete agreements with our business partners, employees, consultants, advisors, customers and others in our efforts to protect our proprietary technology, processes and methods. These agreements may not effectively prevent disclosure of our confidential information, and it may be possible for unauthorized parties to copy our software or other proprietary technology or information, or to develop similar software independently with us lacking an adequate remedy for unauthorized use or disclosure of our confidential information. In addition, others may independently discover our trade secrets and proprietary information, and in these cases, we would not be able to assert any trade secret rights against those parties. Costly and time-consuming litigation could be necessary to enforce and determine the scope of our proprietary rights, and failure to obtain or maintain trade secret protection could adversely affect our competitive business position. In addition, to the extent we expand our international activities, our exposure to unauthorized copying, transfer and use of our proprietary technology or information may increase. We cannot be certain that our means of protecting our intellectual property and proprietary rights will be adequate or that our competitors will not independently develop similar technology. If we fail to meaningfully protect our intellectual property and proprietary rights, our business, results of operations and financial condition could be adversely affected.

Our software solution business is dependent on providing our customers with safe, reliable and high-quality software solutions. Maintaining the security and availability of our systems, network, and the security of information we hold is a critical issue for us and our customers. Attacks on our customers and our own network are frequent and take a variety of forms. Malicious actors can attempt to fraudulently induce employees or suppliers to disclose sensitive information through spamming, phishing, or other tactics. We may be subject to cyber-attacks from third parties. If attacks like these were to occur in the future and if we do not have the systems and processes in place to respond to them, our business could be harmed. The costs incurred by us to avoid or alleviate cyber or other security problems and vulnerabilities may be significant. However, our efforts to address these problems and vulnerabilities may not be successful. Any significant breach of our security measures could: - lead to the dissemination of proprietary information or sensitive, personal, or confidential data about us, our employees, or our customers-including personally identifiable information of individuals involved with our customers and their end-users;- lead to interruptions or degradation of performance in our products and solutions;- threaten our ability to provide our customers with access to our products and solutions, and negatively affect our abilities to retain existing customers;- generate negative publicity about us;- result in litigation and increased legal liability or fines; or - lead to governmental inquiry or oversight. The occurrence of any of these events could harm our business or damage our brand and reputation, lead to customer credits, loss of customers, higher expenses, and possibly impede our present and future success in retaining and attracting new customers. Security incidents or attacks on our infrastructure would be damaging to our reputation and could harm our business. Similar security risks exist with respect to our business partners and our third-party suppliers for information technology support services and administrative functions. As a result, we are subject to the risk that cyber-attacks on our business partners and third-party suppliers may adversely affect our business even if an attack or breach does not directly impact our systems. It is also possible that security breaches sustained by our competitors could result in negative publicity for our entire industry that indirectly harms our reputation and diminishes demand for our platform.

Our software products and solutions incorporate open-source software, and we expect to continue to incorporate open source software in our products and solutions in the future. Courts have interpreted few of the licenses applicable to open source software, and there is a risk that these licenses could be construed in a manner that could impose unanticipated conditions or restrictions on our ability to commercialize our products and solutions. Moreover, although we have implemented policies to regulate the use and incorporation of open source software into our products and solutions, we cannot be certain that we have not incorporated open source software in our products or solutions in a manner that is inconsistent with such policies. If we or our employees fail to comply with open source licenses, we may be subject to certain requirements, including requirements that we offer our products that incorporate the open source software for no cost, that we make available source code for modifications or derivative works we create based upon, incorporating or using the open source software and that we license such modifications or derivative works under the terms of applicable open source licenses. If an author or other third party that distributes such open source software were to allege that we had not complied with the conditions of one or more of these licenses, we could be required to incur significant legal expenses defending against such allegations and could be subject to significant damages, enjoined from generating revenues from customers using products that contained the open source software and required to comply with onerous conditions or restrictions on these products. In any of these events, we and our customers could be required to seek licenses from third parties in order to continue offering our products and solutions and to re-engineer our products or solutions or discontinue offering our products to customers in the event re-engineering cannot be accomplished on a timely basis. Any of the foregoing could require us to devote additional research and development resources to re-engineer our products or solutions, could result in customer dissatisfaction and may adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.

There are inherent risks to our operations. Our workers are subject to the usual hazards associated with providing services on construction sites, while our plant personnel are subject to the hazards associated with moving and storing large quantities of heavy raw materials and finished products. Operating hazards can cause personal injury and loss of life, damage to or destruction of property, plant and equipment and environmental damage. Although we conduct training programs designed to reduce these risks, we cannot eliminate these risks. We rely on state mandated social insurance for work-related injuries of our employees. However, any claim that exceeds the scope of our insurance coverage, if successful and of sufficient magnitude, could result in the incurrence of substantial costs and the diversion of resources, which could have a material adverse effect on us. In addition, we do not have any business liability, disruption, litigation or property insurance coverage for our operations. Any uninsured occurrence of loss or damage to property, or litigation or business disruption may also materially and adversely affect our ability to operate.

We are required under PRC law to participate in various government sponsored employee benefit plans, including social security insurance, housing provident funds and other welfare-oriented payments, and contribute to the plans in amounts equal to certain percentages of salaries, including bonuses and allowances, of our employees up to a maximum amount specified by the local government from time to time at locations where we operate our businesses. We have not made adequate employee benefit payments to the housing provident fund. We may be required to pay the shortage of our contributions. If we are subject to late fees or fines in relation to the underpaid employee benefits, our financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected.

We consider our major vendors to be those vendors that accounted for more than 10% of overall purchases in any given fiscal period. For the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, the Company purchased approximately 10%, 19% and 53% of its raw materials from one major supplier, respectively. We have not entered into long-term contracts with all of our significant vendors and instead rely on individual contracts with such vendors. Although we believe that we can locate replacement vendors readily on the market for prevailing prices, any difficulty in replacing a vendor on terms acceptable to us could negatively affect our company's performance to the extent it results in higher prices or a slower supply chain.

Availability of business insurance products and coverage in China is limited, and most such products are expensive in relation to the coverage offered. We have determined that the risks of disruption, cost of such insurance and the difficulties associated with acquiring such insurances on commercially reasonable terms make it impractical for us to maintain such insurances. As a result, we do not have any business liability, disruption or litigation insurance coverage for our operations in China. Accordingly, a business disruption, litigation or natural disaster may result in substantial costs and divert management's attention from our business, which would have an adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.

The software and information technology service market is competitive and rapidly evolving. The principal competitive factors in our market include completeness of product offerings, level of customization of solutions, credibility with developers, global reach, ease of integration and programmability, product features, platform scalability, reliability, security and performance, brand awareness and reputation, the strength of sales and marketing efforts, customer support, as well as the cost of deploying and using our products. Some of our existing competitors and potential competitors have larger scale, greater brand name recognition, longer operating histories, more established customer relationships and greater resources than we do. As a result, our competitors may be able to respond more quickly and effectively than we can to new or changing opportunities, technologies, standards or customer requirements. In addition, some competitors may offer products, solutions or services that address one or a limited number of functions at lower prices, with greater depth than our products or in different geographies. Our current and potential competitors may develop and market new products, solutions and services with comparable functionality to ours, and this could force us to decrease prices in order to remain competitive. With the introduction of new products, solutions and services and new market entrants, we expect competition to intensify in the future. In addition, some of our customers may choose to use our products and solutions and our competitors' products and solutions at the same time.

Our customers generally operate in the construction industry. Therefore, we are subject to general changes in economic conditions impacting this segment of the economy. If the construction industry does not grow or if there is a contraction in this industry, demand for our business would decrease. Demand for our business is typically affected by a number of overarching economic factors, including interest rates, environmental laws and regulations, the availability and magnitude of private and governmental investment in infrastructure projects and the health of the overall economy. If there is a decline in economic activity in China or the other markets in which we operate, or there is a protracted slowdown in industries upon which we rely for our sales, demand for our projects and products and our revenue would likewise decrease, which could have a materially adverse effect on our business.

As of December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, our net accounts receivable associated with our continuing operations were $1,170,425 (including accounts receivable from third party customers of $1,062,237 and accounts receivable from related party customers of $108,188), $2,234,186 (including accounts receivable from third party customers of $2,150,450 and accounts receivable from related party customers of $83,736), and $535,292 (including accounts receivable from third party customers of $441,703 and accounts receivable from related party customers of $93,589), respectively. These amounts represented 36%, 35% and 15% of our total revenues from continuing operations in 2023, 2022 and 2021, respectively. For the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, our accounts receivable turnover associated with our continuing operations was 173 days, 154 days and 182 days, respectively. Although we believe that we have developed a robust receivables management system and have not incurred a situation where an account receivable has become uncollectable, as our business continues to scale, we believe that our accounts receivable balance will continue to grow. This, in turn, increases our risks for bad debts and uncollectible receivables. To the extent we incur additional bad debts and/or uncollectible receivables, our business, financial condition and results of operation may be materially and adversely affected.

The PRC government controls the conversion of Renminbi into foreign currencies and the remittance of currencies out of mainland China. We receive substantially all of our revenues in Renminbi, and most of our cash is in Renminbi. Under our corporate structure, ReTo, a BVI holding company, primarily relies on dividend payments from our PRC subsidiaries to fund any cash and financing requirements it may have. Under the existing PRC foreign exchange regulations, payments of current account items, including profit distributions, interest payments and trade- and-service-related foreign exchange transactions, can be made in foreign currencies without prior approval from the SAFE by complying with certain procedural requirements. As such, under the existing exchange restrictions, cash generated from the operations of our PRC subsidiaries is able to be paid as dividends in foreign currencies to ReTo without prior approval from the SAFE by complying with certain procedural requirements. However, approval from or registration with appropriate government authorities is required where Renminbi is to be converted into foreign currency and remitted out of mainland China to pay capital expenses such as the repayment of loans denominated in foreign currencies. The PRC government may also at its discretion in the future restrict access to foreign currencies for current account transactions. There is no assurance that the PRC government will not intervene or impose restrictions on the ability of us, our subsidiaries to transfer cash. If the foreign exchange control system prevents us from obtaining sufficient foreign currencies to satisfy our foreign currency demands, we may not be able to pay dividends in foreign currencies from the PRC subsidiaries to the offshore subsidiaries, across borders, and to our shareholders, including the U.S. investors. These foreign exchange restrictions and limitations could prevent the cash maintained from leaving mainland China, and restrict our ability to pay dividends to ReTo and the U.S. investors. There are limitations on our PRC subsidiaries' ability to distribute earnings to their respective shareholders. On the one hand, under the current PRC laws and regulations, our PRC subsidiaries may pay dividends only out of their accumulated profits. In addition, our PRC subsidiaries are required to set aside at least 10% of their accumulated after-tax profits each year, if any, to fund certain statutory reserve funds, until the aggregate amount of such fund reaches 50% of their registered capital. Our PRC subsidiaries may at their discretion allocate a portion of their after-tax profits to staff welfare and bonus funds in accordance with relevant PRC rules and regulations. These reserve funds and staff welfare and bonus funds cannot be distributed as cash dividends. Moreover, if the PRC subsidiaries incur debt on their own behalf in the future, the instruments governing the debt may restrict their ability to pay dividends or make other distributions to us. In addition, any transfer of funds by ReTo to our PRC subsidiaries, either as a shareholder loan or as an increase in the registered capital, is subject to a series of procedural requirements imposed by SAFE or its local counterparts. This may hinder or delay our deployment of cash into our subsidiaries' business, which could result in a material and adverse effect on our operations.

Potential changes in the global economy may affect the availability of business and consumer credit. We may need to rely on the credit markets, particularly for short-term borrowings from banks in China, as well as the capital markets, to meet our financial commitments and short-term liquidity needs if internal funds from our operations are not available to be allocated to such purposes. Disruptions in the credit and capital markets could adversely affect our ability to draw on such short-term bank facilities. Our access to funds under such credit facilities is dependent on the ability of the banks that are parties to those facilities to meet their funding commitments, which may be dependent on governmental economic policies in China. Those banks may not be able to meet their funding commitments to us if they experience shortages of capital and liquidity or if they experience excessive volumes of borrowing requests from us and other borrowers within a short period of time. Long-term disruptions in the credit and capital markets could result from uncertainty, changing or increased regulations, reduced alternatives or failures of financial institutions could adversely affect our access to the liquidity needed for our business. Any disruption could require us to take measures to conserve cash until the markets stabilize or until alternative credit arrangements or other funding for our business needs can be arranged. Such measures may include deferring capital expenditures, and reducing or eliminating discretionary uses of cash. These events would adversely impact our results of operations, cash flows and financial position.