Forward Looking Statements, Reconciliation and Use of Non- GAAP Measures to U.S. GAAP 2 Forward - - Looking Statements This presentation may contain "forward - - looking statements," which include information concerning the company's plans, objectives, goals, strategies, future revenues or performance, capital expenditures, financing needs and other information that is not historical information. When used in this release, the words "outlook," "forecast," "estimates," "expects," "anticipates," "projects," "plans," "intends," "believes," and variations of such words or similar expressions are intended to identify forward - - looking statements. All forward - - looking statements are based upon current expectations and beliefs and various assumptions. There can be no assurance that the company will realize these expectations or that these beliefs will prove correct. The re are a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward - - looking statements contained in this presentation .. Numerous factors, many of which are beyond the company's control, could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed as forward - - looking statements. Certain of these risk factors are discussed in the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Any forward - - looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it i s made, and the company undertakes no obligation to update any forward - - looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which it is made or to reflect the occurrence of anticipated or unanticipated events or circumstances. Reconcili ation of Non - - U.S. GAAP Measures to U.S. GAAP This presentation reflects five performance measures, operating EBITDA, affiliate EBITDA, adjusted earnings per share , net debt and adjusted free cash flow, as non - - U.S. GAAP measures. The most directly comparable f inancial measure presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP in our consolidated financial statements for operating EBITDA is operating profit; for affi li ate EBITDA is equity in net earnings of affiliates ; for adjusted earnings per share is earning s per common share - - diluted; for net debt is total debt ; and for adjusted fr ee cash flow is cash flow from operations .. Use of Non - - U.S. GAAP Financial Information § Operating EBITDA, a measure used by management to measure performance, is defined as operating profit from continuing operations, plus equity in net earnings from affi liates, other income and depreciation and amortization, and further adjusted for other charges and adjustments .. We provide guidance on operating EBITDA and are unable to reconcile forecasted operating EBITDA to a GAAP financial measure because a forecast of Other Charges and Adjustments is not practical. Our management believes operating EBITDA is useful to investors because it is one of the primary measures our management uses for its planning and budgeting processes and to monitor and evaluate financial and operating results. Operating EBITDA is not a recognized term under U.S. GAAP and does not purport to be an alternative to operating profit as a measure of operating performance or to cash flows from operating activities as a measure of liquidity. Be cause not all companies use identical calculations, this presentation of operating EBITDA may not be comparable to other similarly titled measures of other companies. Additionally, operating EBITDA is not intended to be a measure of free cash flow for man agement's discretionary use, as it does not consider certain cash requirements such as interest payments, tax payments and debt service requirements nor does it represent the amount used in our debt covenants. § Affiliate EBITDA, a measure used by managemen t to measure performance of its equity investments, is defined as the proportional operating profit plus the proportional depreciation and amortization of its equity investments. Affiliate EBITDA , including Celanese Proportional Share of affiliate informa tion on Tabl e 8, is not a recognized term under U.S. GAAP and is not meant to be an alternative to operating cash flow of the equity investments. The company has determined that it does not have sufficient ownership for operating control of these investme nts to consider their results on a consolidated basis. The company believes that investors should consider affiliate EBITDA when determining the equity investments' overall value in the company. § Adjusted earnings per share is a measure used by manageme nt to measure performance. It is defined as net earnings (loss) available to common shareholders plus preferre d dividends, adjusted for other charges and adjustments, and divided by the number of basic common shares, diluted preferred shares, and options valued using the treasury method. We provide guidance on an adjusted earnings per share basis and are unable to reconcile forecasted adjusted earnings per share to a GAAP financial measure because a forecast of Other Items is not practical. We believe t hat the presentation of this non - - U.S. GAAP measure provides useful information to management and investors regarding various financial and business trends relating to our financial condition and results of operations, and that when U.S. GAAP information is viewed in conjunction with non - - U.S. GAAP information, investors are provided with a more meaningful understanding of our ongoing operating performance. This non - - U.S. GAAP information is not intended to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for U. S. GAAP financial information. § Net debt is defined as total debt less cash and cash equivalents. We believe that the presentation of this non - - U.S. GAAP measure provides useful information to management and investors regarding changes to the company's ca pital structure. Our management and credit analysts use net debt to evaluate the c ompany's capital structure and assess credit quality. This non - - U.S. GAAP information is not intended to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for U.S. GAAP financia l information. § Adjusted free cash flow is defined as cash flow from operations less capital expenditures, other productive asset purchases, operating cash from discontinued operations and certain other charges. We believe that the presentation of this non - - U.S. GAAP measure provides useful information to management and investors regarding changes to the company's cash flow. Our management and credit analysts use adjusted free cash flow to evaluate the company's liquidity and assess credit quality. This non - - U.S. GAAP information is not intended to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for U.S. GAAP financial information. |