Bangkok--4 Jul--Standard & Poor's, Consumers are responsible for both positive and negative economic news, said Standard & Poor's Chief Economist David Wyss in a Web cast made available today. On the negative side, consumer confidence continues to decline, but on the positive side, consumers seem happy to spend their rebate checks. To view this Web cast, type this URL into your browser: http://event.standardandpoors.com/?elqPURLPage=140. Standard & Poor's Web casts look at the latest macroeconomic news and provide our opinion on today's volatile markets. These Web casts combine both video and charts so viewers can easily follow along with the speaker. 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, 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 www.standardandpoors.com. Analyst Contact: David Wyss, New York (1) 212-438-4952 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]