Bangkok--7 Dec--Standard & Poor's The number of entities poised to benefit from upgrades stood at 359 in November, 16 fewer than the number reported in October and 47 fewer than reported 12 months ago, according to a report published today by Standard & Poor's. The report, titled "Upgrade Potential Across Credit Grades And Sectors (Premium)," says that the count of potential bond upgrades has dropped to its lowest level in 18 months. "By number of issuers, financial companies still lead other sectors most likely to benefit from upgrades, of which almost 70% are domiciled outside the U.S.," said Diane Vazza, head of Standard & Poor's Global Fixed Income Research Group. "However, as a share of all rated companies, financials no longer lead potential upgrades. Banks' performance in the near term will be exposed to exceptional volatility in capital markets and a gradual deterioration in the credit environment. And, within nonfinancials, the telecommunications; high technology; utility; and metals, mining, and steel sectors appear especially well placed for potential upgrades." By rating category, the preponderance of potential upgrades was in the 'B' rating category, including the 'B+', 'B', and 'B-' rating designations. These three combined constitute 36% of the total pool of potential upgrades. Of the total, 75 companies are members of various Standard & Poor's equity indices. The report is available to RatingsDirect subscribers who have upgraded their package to include the Global Fixed Income Research add-on. RatingsDirect is the real-time Web-based source for Standard & Poor's credit ratings, research, and risk analysis, at www.ratingsdirect.com. If you are not a RatingsDirect subscriber with the Global Fixed Income Research add-on, please contact your local Standard & Poor's representative or [email protected] for further information. Ratings information can also be found on Standard & Poor's public Web site at www.standardandpoors.com; under Credit Ratings in the left navigation bar, select Find a Rating, then Credit Ratings Search. Members of the media may request a copy of this report by contacting the media representative provided.