performance and value growth. The company's asset sale program for 2016 and 2017 targeted before-tax proceeds of $5-10 billion. Proceeds and deposits related to asset sales were $2.8 billion in 2016 and $5.2 billion in 2017. Refer to the “Results of Operations” section beginning on page 34 for discussions of net gains on asset sales during 2017. Asset dispositions and restructurings may also occur in future periods and could result in significant gains or losses.

The company closely monitors developments in the financial and credit markets, the level of worldwide economic activity, and the implications for the company of movements in prices for crude oil and natural gas. Management takes these developments into account in the conduct of daily operations and for business planning.

Comments related to earnings trends for the company’s major business areas are as follows:

Upstream Earnings for the upstream segment are closely aligned with industry prices for crude oil and natural gas. Crude oil and natural gas prices are subject to external factors over which the company has no control, including product demand connected with global economic conditions, industry production and inventory levels, technology advancements, production quotas or other actions imposed by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) or other producers, actions of regulators, weather-related damage and disruptions, competing fuel prices, and regional supply interruptions or fears thereof that may be caused by military conflicts, civil unrest or political uncertainty. Any of these factors could also inhibit the company’s production capacity in an affected region. The company closely monitors developments in the countries in which it operates and holds investments, and seeks to manage risks in operating its facilities and businesses. The longer-term trend in earnings for the upstream segment is also a function of other factors, including the company’s ability to find or acquire and efficiently produce crude oil and natural gas, changes in fiscal terms of contracts, and changes in tax laws and regulations.

The company continues to actively manage its schedule of work, contracting, procurement and supply-chain activities to effectively manage costs. However, price levels for capital and exploratory costs and operating expenses associated with the production of crude oil and natural gas can be subject to external factors beyond the company’s control including, among other things, the general level of inflation, commodity prices and prices charged by the industry’s material and service providers, which can be affected by the volatility of the industry’s own supply-and-demand conditions for such materials and services. Industry cost inflation in most onshore segments, including North America unconventionals, started to modestly rise in 2017 with increases in commodity prices and higher levels of activity and investment. Offshore costs continue to decline driven by lower offshore activity levels and increased competition among suppliers. Capital and exploratory expenditures and operating expenses could also be affected by damage to production facilities caused