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.