RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Cigarette maker Philip Morris International Inc., which sells Marlboro and other brands abroad, is wary of a slowdown in Asia, one of its largest growth areas. The company is releasing second-quarter results on Thursday before the market opens.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR: Whether fewer cigarettes were sold because of tax hikes and growing tobacco control efforts. Smokers face new tax increases, bans, health concerns and social stigma worldwide, but the impacts are starker in the U.S. than in many other countries.