NATURAL HEALTH TRENDS CORP

Our operations and financial results are subject to various risks and uncertainties, including those described in Part I, Item 1A, “Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows, and the trading price of our common stock. There have been no material changes to our risk factors since our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024, except as set forth below.

Changes in government trade and economic policies, including the imposition of tariffs and other restrictive trade policies, and ongoing political and economic disputes between the United States and other jurisdictions, particularly China, may have a negative effect on global economic conditions and our business, financial results and financial condition.

Since President Trump's re-election in 2024, tariffs on imports to the United States have become an increasingly significant component of U.S. trade policy. In the first quarter of 2025, the U.S. announced and/or implemented significant new tariffs on imports from a wide range of countries, particularly China, which has prompted retaliatory tariffs by a number of countries and a cycle of further tariffs by both the U.S. and other countries. In April 2025, the U.S. took certain steps to delay the effective date of certain of these tariffs against many countries, but as of the date of this report significant new tariffs remain in effect, including significant reciprocal tariffs between the U.S. and China, where a substantial portion of our products are sold. Recently, China raised its duties on imported U.S. goods to 124%, while U.S. tariffs on Chinese imports include a 125% “reciprocal” tariff, a 20% tariff characterized as addressing the fentanyl crisis and additional tariffs on specific goods. U.S. trade policies can change quickly, and the extent and duration of tariffs and other trade barriers are difficult to predict. These developments, together with the threat of additional tariffs and other restrictive trade policies and the uncertainties they create, may have a material adverse effect on global economic conditions and the stability of global financial markets, and they may significantly reduce global trade and, in particular, adversely affect trade and economic relations between China and the United States. Specifically, we may incur additional costs in the future in connection with shipments of products into China, particularly from the U.S. We may not be able to recover these additional costs through a surcharge. To the extent we are able to contract for products that are currently made in the U.S. to be manufactured elsewhere in order to mitigate the effect of these tariffs, we may incur additional transition costs including the cost of product reregistraton. Assuming these trade policies remain in place, their effect on our future operating results remains uncertain. Apart from the direct cost of tariffs, the ongoing trade dispute may also have an impact on Chinese discretionary spending and consumer sentiment toward products made or perceived to be made in the U.S., which may have an impact on demand for our products.

Apart from trade policy, tensions between the United States and China have increased in recent years as a result of disputes in other areas including intellectual property, cybersecurity and data privacy. Tensions became particularly acute following the China legislature’s passage of a national security law in 2020 that changed the way Hong Kong has been governed since the territory was handed over by the United Kingdom to China in 1997. This law criminalizes secessionist activities, subversion, terrorism, and collusion with a foreign country or with external elements to endanger national security in Hong Kong. The U.S. State Department has indicated that the United States no longer considers Hong Kong to have significant autonomy from China, and the United States has enacted sanctions against certain persons related to China's governance of Hong Kong. China has responded in kind. These and other recent actions reflect an escalation in political and economic tensions involving the United States, China and Hong Kong, which could harm our business. A continued deterioration in these political or economic relations or other future unforeseen problems could disrupt our China and Hong Kong business (including our Hong Kong office and employees), adversely affect the distribution of our products, reduce our net sales, increase the cost of conducting our operations, or result in retaliatory actions against U.S. interests, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

In addition, any actions by non-U.S. markets to implement further trade or economic policy changes, including limiting foreign investment or trade, imposing currency controls restricting the international transfer of funds, increasing regulatory scrutiny or taking other actions which impact U.S. companies' ability to obtain necessary licenses or approvals could negatively impact our business.

Trade and economic policy changes are subject to a number of uncertainties and are only one part of the larger dynamic of political and economic relations amongst countries. The ultimate reaction of other countries, and the individuals in each of these countries, and the impact of actions on the United States, China, Hong Kong, the global economy and our business, financial condition and results of operations, cannot be predicted at this time.