The phrase "an extremely difficult environment" is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it to describe a situation or setting that presents significant challenges or obstacles.
Example: "The team had to adapt quickly to an extremely difficult environment, where resources were scarce and competition was fierce."
Alternatives: "a highly challenging environment" or "a very tough environment".
"While we do not believe that this outcome reflects all of the transformative changes we have made to the firm, there is an acknowledgment in Moody's decision today that real progress has been made at Morgan Stanley, in what is an extremely difficult environment for our industry," he wrote.
National Australia Bank posted a 0.9% drop in net profit amid what it termed an "extremely difficult" environment; traders responded favorably to that, and to its relatively low level of write-downs, sending shares 7.3% higher, to 24.66 Australian dollars ($16.88).
"It is an extremely difficult environment to work in.
Chief executive Philip Bowman said the results were "very strong figures in what is an extremely difficult market environment".
Putting a fine point on the concern, the National Venture Capital Association issued a statement today saying the industry "is preparing for an extremely difficult economic environment" in the next 12 to 18 months.
Qantas released a response in which its chief financial officer, Gareth Evans, said the downgrade was not unexpected and underlined the importance of taking decisive action to address an extremely difficult operating environment.
"They are cramming what would probably be five or six years' worth of work into a period of several months, and they are undertaking this in an extremely difficult security environment due to the ongoing civil war".
Struggling to stanch losses in an extremely difficult operating environment, Lucent Technologies said yesterday that it planned to cut 6,000 more jobs -- reducing the company to less than half its peak size -- and might need to take additional steps to return to profitability.
The Dallas-based milk producer said it's getting hurt by an "extremely difficult" economic environment.
Helen Birtwhistle, its director, said: "The NHS continues to operate in an extremely difficult financial environment but all staff are working very hard to find necessary savings at the same time as making improvements to the safety and quality of care".
