Forward-looking information gives NOVA Chemicals' expectations or forecasts of future events. You can identify these statements by the fact that they do not relate strictly to historical or current facts. You can often identify forward-looking statements by words such as "believe," "expect," "plan," "intend," "estimate," or "anticipate" and similar expressions, as well as future or conditional verbs such as "will," "should," "would," and "could" in connection with a discussion of future operating or financial performance. In particular, forward-looking information includes statements relating to future actions, prospective products or product development, future performance or results of current and anticipated products, sales efforts, expenses, targeted cost savings, business strategies, and financial results.
With respect to forward-looking information, NOVA Chemicals makes assumptions regarding, among other things: future oil, natural gas, natural gas liquids and benzene prices; its ability to obtain raw materials; its ability to market products successfully to its anticipated customers; the impact of increasing competition; corporate tax rates; capacity additions; global GDP growth; and its ability to obtain financing on acceptable terms. Some of NOVA Chemicals' assumptions are based upon internal estimates and analyses of current market conditions and trends, management plans and strategies, economic conditions and other factors and are necessarily subject to risks and uncertainties inherent in projecting future conditions and results.
Some of the risks that could affect NOVA Chemicals' future results and could cause results to differ materially from those expressed in NOVA Chemicals' forward-looking information include: commodity chemicals price levels (which depend, among other things, on supply and demand for these products, capacity utilization and substitution rates between these products and competing products); feedstock availability and prices; operating costs; terms and availability of financing; technology developments; currency exchange rate fluctuations; starting up and operating facilities using new technology; realizing synergy and cost savings targets; NOVA Chemicals' ability to implement its business strategies; meeting time and budget targets for significant capital investments; avoiding unplanned facility shutdowns; safety, health, and environmental risks associated with the operation of chemical plants and marketing of chemical products, including transportation of these products; public perception of chemicals and chemical end-use products; the impact of competition; changes in customer demand, including customer acceptance of NOVA Chemicals' higher value polyethylene and styrenic performance polymer products; changes in, or the introduction of new laws and regulations relating to NOVA Chemicals' business, including environmental, competition and employment laws; loss of the services of any of NOVA Chemicals' executive officers; uncertainties associated with the North American, South American, European, and Asian economies; terrorists attacks; severe weather events; and other risks detailed from time to time in the publicly filed disclosure documents and securities commission reports of NOVA Chemicals.
NOVA Chemicals' forward-looking information is expressly qualified in its entirety by this cautionary statement and except as required by applicable law, NOVA Chemicals undertakes no obligation to update publicly its forward-looking information to reflect new information, subsequent events or otherwise. For further information on additional risks and uncertainties, you are advised to consult NOVA Chemicals' Annual Information Form under the headings "Forward-Looking Information" and "Risk Factors".