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## Note 9 - Employee Benefit Plans - Continued 

The amounts recognized in our consolidated balance sheets for our pension and OPEB plans at December 31, 2019 and 2018 are as follows. 

<img src='content_image/1057845.jpg'>

The following table provides the changes recognized in other comprehensive income for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018. 

<img src='content_image/1057846.jpg'>

## Plan Assets 

The objective of our U.S. pension and OPEB plans is to maximize long-term return, within acceptable risk levels, in a manner that is consistent with the fiduciary standards of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), while maintaining sufficient liquidity to pay current benefits and expenses. 

Our U.S. qualified defined benefit pension plan assets include a diversified blend of domestic, international, global, and emerging market equity securities, fixed income securities, opportunistic credit securities, real estate investments, alternative investments, and cash equivalents. Equity securities are comprised of funds and individual securities that are benchmarked against the respective indices specified below. International and global equity funds may allocate a certain percentage of assets to forward currency contracts. Fixed income securities include U.S. government and agency asset-backed securities, corporate investment-grade bonds, private placement securities, and bonds issued by states or other municipalities. Opportunistic credits 

