PART II - OTHER INFORMATION
ITEM 1. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
Information regarding reportable legal proceedings is contained in Part I, Item 3, “Legal Proceedings,” in our Annual Report. There have been no material changes to the legal proceedings previously disclosed in the Annual Report.
ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS.
An investment in our common stock involves various risks. When considering an investment in us, careful consideration should be given to the risk factors discussed in “Risk Factors” in Item 1A in our Annual Report. There are no material changes to the risk factors described in our Annual Report, except as follows:
Our business could be negatively impacted by inflationary pressures, which may result in increased costs of operations and negatively impact the securities markets generally, which could have a material adverse effect on our ability to access capital.
The U.S. has experienced rising inflation in 2022 and U.S. inflation is currently at a 40-year high. A sustained increase in inflation may continue to raise our costs for labor, services, and materials. Further, our suppliers face inflationary impacts such as the tight labor market and supply chain disruptions, that could increase the costs to construct and commission the Kellyton Graphite Plant, explore and develop the Coosa Graphite Deposit, and our day to day operations. The rate and scope of these various inflationary factors may increase our operating costs materially, which may not be readily recoverable, and have an adverse effect on our costs, operating margins, results of operations and financial condition.
Further, sustained inflation has caused and may continue to cause the Federal Reserve Board to raise the target for the federal funds rate, which correspondingly increases interest rates. Increased interest rates could have a negative effect on the securities markets generally which may, in turn, have a material adverse effect on the Company’s ability to access capital, particularly debt financing, and the market price of equity securities, including the Company’s common stock, which usually decrease as interest rates rise. To the extent that we access debt financing or issue variable interest rate instruments in the future, any increase in interest rates would increase our cost of borrowing and our interest expense.
We are currently operating in a period of economic uncertainty and capital markets disruption, which has been significantly impacted by geopolitical instability, an ongoing military conflict between Russia and Ukraine, and record inflation. Our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially adversely affected by any negative impact on the global economy and capital markets resulting from the conflict in Ukraine, geopolitical tensions, or record inflation.
In February of 2022, Russian military forces invaded Ukraine, and sustained conflict and disruption in the region is likely. Although the length, impact and outcome of the ongoing military conflict in Ukraine is highly unpredictable, this conflict could lead to significant market and other disruptions, including significant volatility in commodity prices and supply of energy resources, instability in financial markets, higher inflation, supply chain interruptions, political and social instability, changes in consumer or purchaser preferences as well as increase in cyberattacks and espionage. We are continuing to monitor the conflict and assessing its potential impact on our business.
The extent and duration of the military action or future escalation of such hostilities, the extent and impact of existing and future sanctions, market disruptions and volatility, and the result of any diplomatic negotiations cannot be predicted. While we expect any direct impacts to our business to be limited, the indirect impacts on the economy and on the mining industry and other industries in general could negatively affect our business and may make it more difficult for us to raise equity or debt financing. In addition, the impact of other current macro-economic factors on our business, which may be exacerbated by the war in Ukraine - including inflation, supply chain constraints and geopolitical events - is likely to have an adverse effect on our business
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