Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk

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The Company’s primary exposures to market risk are fluctuations in interest rates, foreign currency exchange rates and commodity prices, which could impact its financial condition and results of operations. The Company addresses its exposure to these risks through its normal operating and financing activities. The Company’s differentiated and global business activities help to reduce the impact that any particular market risk may have on its operating income as a whole.

The Company’s short-term debt carries variable interest rates and generally its long-term debt carries fixed rates. These financial instruments are more fully described in the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form

10-K.

The foreign currencies to which the Company has the most significant exchange rate exposure are the Euro, the British pound, the Japanese yen, the Chinese renminbi, the Canadian dollar, the Mexican peso and the Swiss franc. Exposure to foreign currency rate fluctuation is modest, monitored, and when possible, mitigated through the use of local borrowings and occasional derivative financial instruments in the foreign currency affected. The effect of translating foreign subsidiaries’ balance sheets into U.S. dollars is included in other comprehensive income within stockholders’ equity. Foreign currency transactions have not had a significant effect on the operating results reported by the Company because revenues and costs associated with the revenues are generally transacted in the same foreign currencies.

The primary commodities to which the Company has market exposure are raw material purchases of nickel, aluminum, copper, steel, titanium, vanadium and gold. Exposure to price changes in these commodities are generally mitigated through adjustments in selling prices of the ultimate product and purchase order pricing arrangements, although forward contracts are sometimes used to manage some of those exposures.

Based on a hypothetical ten percent adverse movement in interest rates, commodity prices or foreign currency exchange rates, the Company’s best estimate is that the potential losses in future earnings, fair value of risk-sensitive financial instruments and cash flows are not material, although the actual effects may differ materially from the hypothetical analysis.