PPG Industries (NYSE: PPG), Pittsburgh, PA, reported sales for the first quarter of $3.6 billion, up 0.7 percent from the previous year. Profit was $334 million, down 3.7 percent from the first quarter of 2016.

“Looking ahead, we expect economic growth to remain modest, particularly in developed regions. In the U.S. and Canada, aggregate customer demand has yet to match recent economic optimism,” said Michael McGarry, PPG chairman and CEO. “We anticipate continued measured growth in Europe across most of our businesses. Growth rates in emerging regions are expected to remain moderate, driven by increased consumer demand in Asia and broad-based expansion across Latin America, including in Brazil, where we see improvements after a likely bottoming.”