Pandemics
82 of 521 companies dropped a paragraph in Risk Factors that uses one of these words:
pandemic, COVID, epidemic, outbreak.
The paragraph was in the earlier 10-K and nothing like it is in the latest.
It counts text; it does not say how serious a risk is. Words in capitals only (such as AI) must be in capitals.
By sector
Sector is the SEC's industry description of the company. Each count opens that sector's quotes below.
| Sector | Companies | Compared |
|---|---|---|
| Apparel & Other Finishd Prods of Fabrics & Similar Matl | 1 | 1 |
| Communications Equipment, NEC | 1 | 1 |
| Gold and Silver Ores | 1 | 1 |
| Heavy Construction Other Than Bldg Const - Contractors | 1 | 1 |
| Meat Packing Plants | 1 | 1 |
| Motor Vehicle Parts & Accessories | 1 | 1 |
| Oil & Gas Field Machinery & Equipment | 1 | 1 |
| Real Estate Operators (No Developers) & Lessors | 1 | 1 |
| Retail-Drug Stores and Proprietary Stores | 1 | 1 |
| Retail-Eating & Drinking Places | 1 | 1 |
| Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, NEC | 1 | 1 |
| Special Industry Machinery, NEC | 1 | 1 |
| Telephone & Telegraph Apparatus | 1 | 1 |
| Laboratory Analytical Instruments | 3 | 5 |
| Agricultural Chemicals | 1 | 2 |
| Cigarettes | 1 | 2 |
| Computer Peripheral Equipment, NEC | 1 | 2 |
| Converted Paper & Paperboard Prods (No Contaners/Boxes) | 1 | 2 |
| Industrial Organic Chemicals | 1 | 2 |
| Mining & Quarrying of Nonmetallic Minerals (No Fuels) | 1 | 2 |
| Printed Circuit Boards | 1 | 2 |
| Pumps & Pumping Equipment | 1 | 2 |
| Refuse Systems | 1 | 2 |
| Rubber & Plastics Footwear | 1 | 2 |
| Services-Computer Programming Services | 1 | 2 |
| Services-General Medical & Surgical Hospitals, NEC | 1 | 2 |
| Services-Medical Laboratories | 1 | 2 |
| Ship & Boat Building & Repairing | 1 | 2 |
| Telephone Communications (No Radiotelephone) | 1 | 2 |
| Biological Products, (No Diagnostic Substances) | 2 | 5 |
| Finance Services | 10 | 28 |
| State Commercial Banks | 2 | 6 |
| Air-Cond & Warm Air Heatg Equip & Comm & Indl Refrig Equip | 1 | 3 |
| Computer & office Equipment | 1 | 3 |
| Computer Communications Equipment | 1 | 3 |
| Operative Builders | 1 | 3 |
| Perfumes, Cosmetics & Other Toilet Preparations | 1 | 3 |
| Services-Consumer Credit Reporting, Collection Agencies | 1 | 3 |
| Soap, Detergents, Cleang Preparations, Perfumes, Cosmetics | 1 | 3 |
| Surgical & Medical Instruments & Apparatus | 3 | 10 |
| Pharmaceutical Preparations | 3 | 11 |
| Investment Advice | 2 | 8 |
| Electronic & Other Electrical Equipment (No Computer Equip) | 1 | 4 |
| Retail-Eating Places | 1 | 4 |
| Security & Commodity Brokers, Dealers, Exchanges & Services | 1 | 4 |
| Services-Computer Processing & Data Preparation | 1 | 4 |
| Semiconductors & Related Devices | 3 | 15 |
| Retail-Variety Stores | 1 | 5 |
| National Commercial Banks | 2 | 11 |
| Fire, Marine & Casualty Insurance | 2 | 12 |
| Insurance Agents, Brokers & Service | 1 | 6 |
| Electric Services | 2 | 15 |
| Services-Business Services, NEC | 2 | 16 |
| Real Estate Investment Trusts | 3 | 27 |
| Services-Prepackaged Software | 2 | 19 |
140 paragraphs · Laboratory Analytical Instruments show all sectors
•impact of public health crises, including pandemics and epidemics, such as COVID-19, on the global economy.
Read in the 10-K filed Dec 20, 2024 ↗
A pandemic or widespread outbreak of an illness or other health issue could negatively affect our business, making it more difficult and expensive to meet our obligations to our customers, and could result in reduced demand from our customers.
Read in the 10-K filed Feb 7, 2025 ↗
Our operations are vulnerable to global events, including pandemics like COVID-19. Despite precautions, such outbreaks can lead to business shutdowns, illness, quarantines, and workforce disruptions. Events in key regions such as North America, Europe, or China could significantly impact commercial activity, adversely affecting our financial condition, operations, and prospects.
Read in the 10-K filed Feb 7, 2025 ↗
Global inflation significantly increased in 2022 and 2021 related to the COVID-19 economic recovery and associated disruptions in global demand, supply chains/logistics, and labor markets, as well as the war in Ukraine and related significant increase in energy costs. While the global inflation rate began to ease in 2023 and 2024 as a result of central bank policy tightening, core inflation has proved persistent as a result of the preceding factors, in addition to others such as the escalating number of significant geopolitical conflicts throughout the world.
Read in the 10-K filed Feb 7, 2025 ↗
Public health crises, epidemics or pandemics have had, and could in the future have, a negative impact on our business and operations, including Company sales and cash flow. Such public health crises, epidemics and pandemics have the potential to create significant volatility, uncertainty and worldwide economic disruption, resulting in an economic slowdown of potentially extended duration, as seen with the COVID-19 pandemic from 2020 to 2022. The Company’s global operations expose it to risks associated with such public health crises, epidemics and pandemics, which could have an adverse effect on its business, results of operations and financial condition. The degree to which such public health crisis, epidemics or pandemics ultimately affects the Company’s business, results of operations and financial condition is highly uncertain and cannot be predicted.
Read in the 10-K filed Feb 25, 2025 ↗