Bangkok--2 Jul--Standard & Poor's Eight issuers were added to Standard & Poor's list of issuers poised for improved credit quality, according to an article published today. The article, which is titled "Upgrade Potential Across Credit Grades And Sectors (Premium)," says that this brings the tally to 300 from last month's all-time low of 292. Nevertheless, the current count is 82 fewer than 12 months ago and 54 less than the trailing-12-month average. "There has been a substantial decline in the total count of the potential bond upgrades since July 2007, the beginning of disruptions in the credit markets," said Diane Vazza, head of Standard & Poor's Global Fixed Income Research Group. "We expect that the deceleration in potential bond upgrades this month will likely diminish further as factors that support upward momentum weaken." The credit deterioration in the U.S. today compared with 12 months ago is largely the reason for the drop in issuers poised for upgrades. In addition, though to a much lesser extent, Europe has echoed the trend in the U.S. On the other hand, Latin America, Eastern Europe/Middle East/Africa, and Canada have been relatively stable. RatingsDirect is the real-time Web-based source for Standard & Poor's credit ratings, research, and risk analysis, at www.ratingsdirect.com. The standard version of this article is part of our standard Global Fixed Income Research content. The premium version contains expanded analysis of the article's most significant points, typically broken out by sector and region. Also in the premium version are in-depth charts and tables, the underlying data of which are available for download. 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 23 countries and markets, 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]