Bangkok--24 Jan--Standard & Poor's Globally, 36 issuers crossed over into investment-grade territory from speculative-grade in 2007, compared with 30 in 2006, affecting debt worth US$71.81 (?48.2) billion, according to an article published today by Standard & Poor's. The report, titled "Global Potential Rising Stars (Premium)," says that the U.S., with its large rated issuer base, contributed 14, the same as in 2006. "Emerging market credits contributed to just under one-third, or 11, of all global rising stars in 2007, bolstered by strong economic growth and solid financial health," said Diane Vazza, head of Standard & Poor's Global Fixed Income Research Group. "Rising stars trailed fallen angels by a margin of six in 2007, maintaining the trend in place since 2005. In the U.S., however, the gap was much larger, with the number of fallen angels more than twice as high as the count of rising stars." As of Jan. 11, 2008, 32 globally rated entities are well positioned to ascend to investment grade, one more than the number recorded in the last published report and nine more than that reported last year. Together, these 32 entities account for a total of US$145.13 (?97.4) billion in rated debt, of which US$96.9 (?65) billion was attributed to sovereigns. Five new issuers joined the potentials list this month. Ms. Vazza added that, "Also as of Jan. 11, 2008, utilities displayed the highest number of potential rising stars, with four issuers, closely followed by insurance and sovereigns, with three entities each." 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. Media Contact: Mimi Barker, New York (1) 212-438-5054, [email protected] Analyst Contact: Diane Vazza, New York (1) 212-438-2760 Standard & Poor's, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies (NYSE:MHP), is the world's foremost provider of financial market intelligence, including independent credit ratings, indices, risk evaluation, investment research and data. With approximately 8,500 employees, including wholly owned affiliates, located in 21 countries, Standard & Poor's is an essential part of the world's financial infrastructure and has played a leading role for more than 140 years in providing investors with the independent benchmarks they need to feel more confident about their investment and financial decisions. For more information, visit http://www.standardandpoors.com. Key Contacts: Americas Media Relations: (1) 212-438-6667 media_ [email protected] Americas Customer Service: (1) 212-438-7280 [email protected]